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Colquhoun ownership of Dunglass does not appear to have extended much beyond a century. By the early 18th century, the castle appears to have been derelict. In 1735, the Commissioners for Supply used the castle as a quarry to effect repairs to the quay at Bowling. The tower-house, which was probably still habitable at the time, appears not to have been effected, but the curtain wall and the oldest parts of the castle facing the Clyde, were probably plundered at this time.
That would usually have been the death-knell for a building of this type and age, but in the early 19th century, the building was given a new lease of life. Andrew Buchanan of Auchentorlie bought the property in 1812 and set about restoring it. It was later (1893) occupied by the graphic artist Talwin Morris when he moved to Glasgow from London, who invited Charles Rennie Mackintosh to redesign the interiors. Some of the furniture Mackintosh produced for Dunglass, has since sold for phenomenal amounts of money!
Lusset Glen is a very pleasant area with tall mature trees straddling the Dalnottar Burn. It stretches roughly easterly from Dumbarton Road under the railway until reaching Great Western Road. Glen Road is almost parallel with it for the first stretch and can be used as alternative parking to that on Dumbarton Road.
This open top former West Midlands Metrobus is now parked on the site of the former Old Kilpatrick bus depot, its appearance would suggest it has now been converted to a cafe or bar bus although it didn't appear to be in use as such. Online information would suggest it has recently had a change of ownership and still has a current MOT although not currently taxed.
RM910 parked in front of the clock on the central bay of the former Gavinburn bus depot at Old Kilpatrick. The depot opened in 1936 and closed about 1996/97. This bus was new to London Transport in 1961 but later was garaged here while serving with Kelvin Scottish between 1986 and 1992.
The garage buildings appear to have been converted into a fitness centre and warehousing.
High Lights At High Gavinburn
This week's 52 Weeks Theme is Light trail/Long exposure. Danbo was pleased to pose for me in front of the lights of the Erskine Bridge - while I waved a colourful light tool behind. More info. Ref: D1097_38
The Erskine Bridge is a multi span cable-stayed box girder bridge spanning the River Clyde in west central Scotland. The bridge connects West Dunbartonshire with Renfrewshire and can be used by all types of motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. As well as crossing the Clyde, the bridge also crosses the Forth and Clyde Canal and the North Clyde railway line. A small part of Kilpatrick railway station is situated underneath the bridge at the north side. The bridge is part of the A898 road. On completion the bridge replaced the Erskine to Old Kilpatrick ferry service. [Wikipedia]
It has been my hobby for a number of years, to visit Scottish castles, photograph them, collect together such information as I can gather and post it all here on Flickr for people's reference. I am not usually too worried about going inside, indeed I prefer not to when the building is still someone's home, and although I like to get photographs of the building's interesting external features, if it is all too difficult, I settle for whatever I can get. Looking at Dunglass Castle and the fence and thick vegetation that surrounded it, I had pretty much decided to settle for a couple of distant shots, but having gone to so much trouble to get in here, I thought it might be worth looking at the seaward side, which I knew was the oldest substantial part of the castle remaining.
The curtain wall that once surrounded the castle, is still fairly complete on this side, but as the castle was presumably once used to control traffic on the River Clyde, I decided it might be worth scrambling round the rocks for a better look at the seaward side.
One of McColl's SPT supplied Solos is seen passing through Old Kilpatrick prior to starting the 184.
I have long wanted to visit this castle, but it has been almost impossible to get to for decades. Almost! This is Dunglass Castle, which stands on the north shore of the Clyde estuary, nearly two miles downstream from the Erskine Bridge and less than half a mile west of the railway station at Bowling.
The problem is that the castle site is entirely surrounded by what used to be an ESSO oil storage depot. Why this should still make the site inaccessible, I'm not entirely sure, because the tanks and piping have been entirely dismantled and removed. The site, which was a tank farm for over a century, unsurprisingly, was contaminated, however ESSO have been conducting "bioremediation work" - which supposedly has been completed. They have apparently also been talking to the local community about what should happen to the site once it is opened up to the public again.
In the meantime, the site remains difficult to get into. It is bounded to the south by the estuary and to the north by a railway line. The gateway and only crossing over the railway, is very secure. South of the railway, enclosing the west, north and east sides of the site, there is a jaggedy steel fence topped with barbed wire, seven feet high. However, where there's a will there's a way, and the local fishermen long ago recognised the value of this quiet and increasingly well wooded shoreline, so if you cross the footbridge at Bowling railway station, to the south platform and go through the little gate, the path beyond follows the east fence of the ESSO site, and almost immediately there is a place where the steel pickets have been forced apart enough to get through.
Once inside, although vegetation is springing back up all over the site, it is easy enough to head westward, rounding the head of an old dock. After this the vegetation gets very thick again for a while, as you approach a stand of old trees, beyond which is another steel picket fence, which divides the site in two. There is no way through this fence, however I simply went round the southern end of it, where it meets the estuary. After this fence, the country is completely clear of vegetation and has presumably been recently decontaminated. When there used to be a security man at the gate, this open ground would have been a problem, but he appears to have gone now, so it is a straight forward walk to the castle.
As the photo above shows, even when you reach the castle site, getting a look at the castle is still a problem. Firstly, it is surrounded by yet another jaggedy steel and barbed wire fence, and secondly, vegetation is growing up everywhere it can get a foothold, obscuring most of the building.
As can be seen here, the castle was built on a low rocky mound of volcanic looking origins. These days, this hillock is hard to distinguish from the rest of the coast line, which is fairly straight, but I would guess that it once formed a headland, and that the coastline was extended out in line with it in order to provide a site for the oil tank farm.
There has been a castle here since 1380, and while this seaward facing wall is probably not that old, it may be the oldest surviving part. There are a number of small window openings, slit windows at the lower level, and the occasional lonesome corbel-stone sticking out of the wall, thought to have once supported a hoarding - which indicates an early date. Presumably there must have been embrasures for cannon, if the castle the castle played a role in dominating the river, but if so, they are not obvious.
The red thing behind the bush to the right is a navigation beacon.
Inmates
The final photo of the five of us who have been staying at the cottage. Carol goes home first thing tomorrow, George has just arrived to help us with the derig next week. More info. Ref: D1101-264
PS Waverley heads underneath the Erskine Bridge on her return to Glasgow on the evening of her 40th Anniversary cruise in June 2003 which followed the route of her maiden voyage.
I have tried many times to get a photo of the Waverley passing under the Erskine Bridge and had failed everytime until this occassion and my presence on the bridge came by default.
I had sailed on Waverley from Glasgow to Helensburgh then left the ship to sail around the Gareloch on another vessel to see the visiting Nato warships berthed at Faslane as part of Exercise Neptune Warrior. The plan had been to return to Helensburgh and rejoin the Waverley for her return sail back up the Clyde. However like al best laid plans, this was not to be, and due to tidal conditions and a distinct lack of water at Helensburgh pier, Waverley requested she be allowed to berth before us at Helensburgh, otherwise due to the depth, if left any later would risk the ship grounding or not being able to berth at all. So instead of rejoining Waverley at Helensburgh, I had to sit onboard our boat and watch forlornly as Waverley berthed at Helensburgh then set off for Greenock, before heading to Glasgow. A train provided my means of transport home, however as the train passed Bowling it became obvious that the train had gained time on the paddler and by the time the train reached Old Kilpatrick, it was well in front of Waverley. This allowed enough time for a spirited run from Old Kilpatrick station onto the Erskine Bridge and for the first time I was able to get the photograph I wanted.
RM910 revisits the old Gavinburn bus garage at Old Kilpatrick where it was based during part of its service life with Kelvin Scottish between 1986 and 1992. The garage closed about 1996/97 and the buildings appear to have been converted to a warehouse and a gymnasium.
View of the Old Kilpatrick Hills behind Clydebank, with the Erskine Bridge in the left hand edge of the frame. The green roofed building is the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre.
The site was part of the Beardmore Naval Construction yard from the early years of the 20th century to its closure the 1930s.
Its most famous product was probably the Revenge class battleship HMS Ramillies which saw extensive service in the second world war, despite being elderly and slow by the standards of the day.
On the 5th of December 2009 Clyde Marine’s “Fencer” carried out a short excursion on the Forth and Clyde canal from Bowling to Dalmuir and back, for a group of shipping enthusiasts.
On the 5th of December 2009 Clyde Marine’s “Fencer” carried out a short excursion on the Forth and Clyde canal from Bowling to Dalmuir and back, for a group of shipping enthusiasts.
Room With A View
This is the view from my room at the cottage, overlooking Old Kilpatrick, the Clyde and the Erskine Bridge. Quite pretty after dark, and about all I had time for after a long day at work, shopping for provisions and getting back to cook dinner. More info. Ref: D1101-244
On the 5th of December 2009 Clyde Marine’s “Fencer” carried out a short excursion on the Forth and Clyde canal from Bowling to Dalmuir and back, for a group of shipping enthusiasts.
Big Sky, Big Loch
The sun was shining today so me and my colleague Carol (who is also staying at the cottage) decided to hike up to Loch Humphrey – high in the Braes above Old Kipatrick. It was rather a schlepp to begin with, but worth it for the peace and quiet and lovely views at the top. This one makes a good shot for the current 52 Weeks Theme, A Big Sky. More info. Ref: D1101-256