The River Clyde, looking eastwards upstream, as it passes beneath the Kingston Bridge.

The River Clyde (Cluaidh in Scottish Gaelic) is a major river in Scotland. At 106 miles (176 km) long, it is the tenth longest river in the UK, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was arguably the most important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 710 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: River Clyde Kingston Bridge, Glasgow ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 710 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: River Clyde Kingston Bridge, Glasgow ... Kingston Bridge, looking eastward up the River Clyde The Kingston Bridge is a road bridge crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig; IPA: ) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... A mile is a unit of distance (or, in physics terminology, length) currently defined as 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, or 63,360 inches. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... Men from Francisco de Orellanas expedition building a small brigantine, the San Pedro, to be used in the search for food Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. ... A fruit stand at a market. ... The British Empire was, at one time, the foremost global power, and the most extensive empire in the history of the world. ...

Course

The Clyde rises in the Lowther Hills in South Lanarkshire. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, the Daer Water (the headwaters of which are dammed to form the Daer Reservoir) and the Potrail Water. The Southern Upland Way crosses both streams before they meet at Watermeetings (Grid reference NS953131) to form the River Clyde proper. At this point the Clyde is only six miles (10 km) from Tweed's Well, the source of the River Tweed and eight miles from the Devil's Beef Tub, the source of the River Annan. South Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, covering the southern part of the traditional county of Lanarkshire. ... Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a 212 mile (340 km) coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... There are other rivers with this name: see Tweed River The River Tweed at Abbotsford, near Melrose The River Tweed at Coldstream The River Tweed (156 kilometres or 97 miles long) flows primarily through the Borders region of Scotland. ... The Devils Beef Tub and the monument to John Hunter The Devils Beef Tub is a deep, dramatic hollow in the hills north of the Scottish town of Moffat. ... The River Annan flows from Moffat, in South West Scotland, past the town of Lockerbie, and to the sea in the fishing town of Annan. ...

From there it snakes northeastward before turning to the west, its flood plain used for many major roads in the area, until it reaches the town of Lanark. On the banks of the Clyde, Victorian industrialists David Dale and Robert Owen built their mills and the model settlement of New Lanark. The mills harness the power of the Falls of Clyde, the most spectacular of which is Cora Linn. A hydroelectric power station still generates electricity here, although the mills are now a museum and World Heritage Site. Flood Plain along Lynches River Johnsonville, South Carolina Showing high water mark on tupelo and cypress trees In geography, a flood plain is a plain formed of sediment, typically dropped by a river. ... A typical rural county road in Indiana, USA, where traffic drives on the right. ... This article describes the town in Scotland. ... David Dale, (1739 - 1806) is a remarkable example of the fluidity of Scottish society in the 18th century. ... Robert Owen Robert Owen continues to be looked up to in this Manchester statue Robert Owen (May 14, 1771 – November 17, 1858) was a Welsh socialist and social reformer. ... New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Scottish town of Lanark. ... Corra Linn in full spate For the only surviving iron-hulled, full rigged ship, and the only surviving sail-driven oil-tanker, in the world, see Falls of Clyde. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ...

From New Lanark, the river turns northwest, before it is joined by the River Avon and flows into the West of Scotland conurbation. Between the towns of Motherwell and Hamilton the course of the river has been altered to create the artificial loch within Strathclyde Park. Part of the original course can still be seen, and lies between the island and the east shore of the loch. The river then flows through Blantyre and Bothwell, where the ruined Bothwell Castle stands on a defensible promontory. A conurbation is an urban area comprising a number of cities or towns which, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. ... Motherwell (Tobar na Màthar in Gaelic) is a Scottish town, in northern Lanarkshire, between Glasgow and Edinburgh. ... The Mausoleum of the Dukes of Hamilton, in the grounds of the old Hamilton Palace Hamilton (Hamaltan, in Scottish Gaelic) is a town in Central Scotland. ... Strathclyde Loch, looking north Strathclyde Park (or Strathclyde Country Park) is a large country park located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. ... This article is about the location in Scotland. ... Bothwell is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, that lies on the right bank of the River Clyde, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow. ... The Donjon seen from the Great Hall Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle sited on a high steep bank above a bend in the River Clyde between Uddingston and the small town of Bothwell in Lanarkshire, Scotland, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Glasgow. ...

Past Uddingston and into the southeast of Glasgow the river begins to widen, meandering a course through Rutherglen and into the city centre. Flowing past Glasgow Green, the river is artificially straightened and widened through the centre, and is still navigable as far as Finnieston, where the PS Waverley is docked. From there, it flows past the shipbuilding heartlands, through Govan, Partick, Whiteinch, Scotstoun and Clydebank, all of which housed major shipyards, of which only two remain. The river flows out west of Glasgow, past Renfrew, out to Dumbarton, finally beyond Helensburgh and Port Glasgow to Greenock where it empties into the Firth of Clyde. Uddingston is a village in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the north side of the River Clyde, approximately 10 miles to the south of Glasgow and is home to Tunnocks. ... Rutherglen (An Ruadh Ghleann in Scottish Gaelic) is a town bordering on the city of Glasgow, Scotland. ... The central business district of Melbourne, Australia. ... McLennan Arch at the north-west entrance to Glasgow Green Glasgow Green situated in the east end of the city on the north bank of the River Clyde, is the oldest park in Glasgow dating back to the 15th century. ... Finnieston is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... PS Waverley steaming down the Firth of Clyde - additional views at Image:PS Waverley off Brodick castle 1989. ... Govan is a district and former burgh in the southwestern part of the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. ... Whiteinch is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... Scotstoun is a district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. ... The old coat of arms for Clydebank, adopted in 1930 The red saltire on the white field is for the ancient province of Lennox and for the towns more recent historic links to Ireland which previously used the same flag. ... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ... Renfrew (Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a small town and former royal burgh in the Renfrewshire region of Scotland (see main article on the town of Renfrew, Scotland). ... Dumbarton (Dùn Breatainn in Scottish Gaelic) is a burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ... Helensburgh (Baile Eilidh in Gaelic) is a Scottish town historically part of Dunbartonshire, but since local government reorganisation in 1995 in Argyll and Bute, on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde. ... Port Glasgow is a burgh in Inverclyde, Scotland on the River Clyde. ... Greenock (Grianaig in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh and a burgh of barony in the unitary authority region of Inverclyde in western Scotland, forming part of a continuous urban area with Gourock to the west and Port Glasgow to the east. ... Map of the Firth of Clyde and area The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

Industrial growth

The Clyde flowing through Glasgow. The Finnieston Crane on the left is seen as a lasting symbol of the industrial heritage of the Clyde.

The success of the Clyde at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution was driven by the location of Glasgow, being a port facing the Americas. Tobacco and cotton trade began the drive in the early 18th century. However, the shallow Clyde was not navigable for the largest ocean-going ships and cargo had to be transferred at Greenock or Port Glasgow to smaller ships to sail into Glasgow itself. It was the mid-19th century before engineers decided to take on the mammoth task of dredging the Clyde, removing millions of cubic metres of silt to deepen and widen the channel. The major stumbling block in the project was a massive volcanic plug known as Elderslie Rock. It would be the 1880s before work was finally complete. The River Clyde flowing through central Glasgow in Scotland. ... The River Clyde flowing through central Glasgow in Scotland. ... The Finnieston Crane is a crane and landmark in Glasgow, Scotland. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... World map showing the Americas The Americas commonly refers to the landmass of the Western Hemisphere, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. ... Cotton plant as imagined and drawn by John Mandeville in the 14th century Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium spp. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Cargo is a term used to denotes goods or produce being transported generally for commercial gain, usually on a ship, plane, train or lorry. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dredging is the process by which either new waterways are created or existing waterways are deepened. ... Silt refers to soil or rock particles of a certain very small size range (see grain size). ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ...

The completion of the dredging was well-timed, as steelworking grew in the city the channel finally became navigable all the way up to Glasgow. Shipbuilding replaced trade as the major activity on the river and shipbuilding companies were establishing themselves on the river at an exponential rate. Soon, the Clyde gained a reputation for being the best location for shipbuilding in the British Empire, and grew to become the worlds pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. Clydebuilt became an industry benchmark of quality, and the river’s shipyards were given contracts for prestigious ocean-going liners as well as warships, including the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth 2 in later years. The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... The British Empire was, at one time, the foremost global power, and the most extensive empire in the history of the world. ... RMS Queen Mary was a Cunard Line (then Cunard White Star Line) ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967. ... The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth. ...

Shipbuilding decline

The downfall of the Clyde as a major industrial centre came during and post-World War II. Clydebank in particular was targeted by Nazi bombers and sustained devastating damage. The immediate post war period saw a severe reduction in warship orders which was balanced by a prolonged boom in merchant shipbuilding. By the end of the 1950s, however, the rise of other shipbuilding nations, recapitalised and highly productive, made many European yards uncompetitive. Many Clydeside yards booked a series of loss-making contracts in the hope of weathering the storm. However by the mid 1960's, shipbuilding on the Clyde was becoming increasingly uneconomic and potentially faced collapse. This culminated in the closure of Harland and Wolff's Linthouse yard and a bankruptcy crisis facing Fairfields of Govan. The Government responded by creating the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders consortium. After the consortium's controversial collapse in 1971, the Labour government of James Callaghan later passed the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act which nationalised most of the Clyde's shipyards and grouped them with other major British shipyards as British Shipbuilders. Combatants Allies: • Poland •UK & Commonwealth • France/Free France • Soviet Union • United States • China . ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (help· info) (German: Air Arm, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... This article is about the continent. ... Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries began as a shipyard located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Upper Clyde Shipbuilders was a group which amalgamated the major shipbuilders of the River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland. ... The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 nationalised large parts of the UK aerospace and shipbuilding industries and established two corporations, British Aerospace and British Shipbuilders. ... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ... British Shipbuilders was a public corporation that owned and managed the UK shipbuilding industry from 1977 to 1986. ...

Today, two major shipyards remain in operation on the Upper Clyde, they are owned by the Global defence contractor, BAE Systems, who focus principally upon the design and construction of technologically advanced warships for the Royal Navy and other navies around the world. Launch of HMS Daring from BAEs Scotstoun Shipyard. ...

However, Clydeside has gained new draws to replace the once dominant shipbuilding industry. Market gardens and garden centres have grown up on the fertile plains at New Lanark. Tourism has also brought many back to the riverside, especially in Glasgow where former docklands have given way to housing and amenities on the banks in the city, for instance, the Glasgow Harbour project, the Glasgow Science Centre, and the creation of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. With the migration of the commercial Port of Glasgow downstream to the deeper waters of the Firth of Clyde, the river has been extensively cleaned up, once having a very poor reputation for pollution and sewage, in order to make it suitable for recreational use. In agriculture, market gardening is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. ... A garden centre is a type of shop that sell products related to Gardens such as plants, compost, statues, fertilizers and garden ornaments. ... Flood Plain along Lynches River Johnsonville, South Carolina Showing high water mark on tupelo and cypress trees In geography, a flood plain is a plain formed of sediment, typically dropped by a river. ... New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately two kilometres from the Scottish town of Lanark. ... Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. ... Glasgow Harbour is a docklands redevelopment in Glasgow, Scotland. ... The Glasgow Science Centre and the Glasgow Tower The Glasgow Science Centre is a major science and technology museum located in Glasgow, Scotland. ... The front of the SECC The Clyde Auditorium with the main SECC building behind it The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), located on the north bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, is Scotlands national venue for public events. ... Map of the Firth of Clyde and area The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. ... Sewage is domestic, municipal, or industrial liquid waste products disposed of via a pipe or similar structure. ...

Gallery

St. Andrews footbridge Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1511x1534, 776 KB) St Andrews Suspension Bridge on the edge of Glasgow Green. ...

Bells Bridge Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 698 KB) The Bells Bridge crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. ...

Millennium Bridge Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 667 KB) The Millennium Bridge in Glasgow, taken during a river festival Source: Taken by Finlay McWalter on Saturday 23rd July 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: River Clyde ...

Modern buildings, including the Clyde Auditorium and the Finnieston Crane Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1189x518, 40 KB) Beskrivelse A view over the Clyde in Glasgow on a winter afternoon. ... The Clyde Auditorium viewed from across the Clyde. ... The Finnieston Crane is a crane and landmark in Glasgow, Scotland. ...

See also

• Clyde walkway
• Rivers of Great Britain
• Firth of Clyde

The Clyde Walkway is a 40 mile [65 kilometre] foot and cycle path which runs from the centre of Glasgow, Scotland to the UNESCO World Heritage village of New Lanark. ... This is a list of rivers of Great Britain. ... Map of the Firth of Clyde and area The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

External links

• River Clyde waterfront regeneration
• Gallery of pictures of the River Clyde from the Erskine Bridge