A photograph taken in June 1914 showing fire damage to Kingston Dock, looking west towards the imposing range of Scottish Co-Operative Wholesale Society offices and warehouses (centre) on Morrison Street.
Work had begun on the reconstruction of the timber wharf in 1913 to accommodate larger coal ships, and the timbers were treated with creosote to make them more durable. Two workmen started the fire while boring holes using a red-hot bar. The blaze spread quickly round the dock and destroyed all of the sheds and four wooden schooners moored in the basin.
Originally known as Windmillcroft Basin, Kingston Dock had been completed in 1867 behind Windmillcroft Quay. It was Glasgow's first enclosed dock and was used mostly by puffers and small coastal vessels, but also by clippers and other sailing ships. The dock was closed in 1966, when work began on the construction of the Kingston Bridge, and the basin was subsequently in-filled and houses built on the site.
Reference: T-CN 19/12/ Slide No. 293
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
basins, docks, fires, Kingston Bridge, Kingston Dock, M8 Motorway, motorways, quays, River Clyde, sailing schooners, Scottish Co-Operative Wholesale Society, SCWS, warehouses, wharfs, wharves, Windmillcroft Basin, workmen
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