The "Finnieston Crane" at Stobcross Quay, 1955.
The cantilever crane was built for the Clyde Navigation Trust by Cowans, Sheldon & Co of Carlisle, to replace the Trust's crane at Finnieston. Work on the crane, which had a lifting capacity of 175 tons (178 tonnes), was completed in 1932. The crane was used to lift boilers and engines into new ships, and to load heavy goods such as locomotives and tanks. The domed roof in the background belongs to the south rotunda on Mavisbank Quay, which contained the entrances and hoists which gave access to the Glasgow Harbour Tunnel.
In 1955 Partick Camera Club set out to create a photographic survey of Glasgow. As the project progressed, other camera clubs joined and each was allocated a district of the city to photograph. Glasgow Museums exhibited the photographs at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and at the People's Place, and in 1956 the exhibition was shown at the Palace of Art in Bellahouston Park. The photographs are now part of Glasgow Museums' collections.
Reference: 1005.97.209 / OG.1955.121.[178]
Reproduced with the permission of the Partick Camera Club
Keywords:
Clyde Navigation Trust, Cowans, Sheldon & Co, cranes, Finnieston Crane, Finnieston Quay, Glasgow Harbour Tunnel, Glasgow Photographic Survey 1955, rotundas, ships, South Rotunda, Stobcross Crane, Stobcross Quay, tunnels