This photograph shows the shipbuilding section inside the Palace of Engineering at the Empire Exhibition in 1938. In the foreground are the stands of Scotts of Greenock and Yarrow & Co, Glasgow. Model ships were always a popular attraction. Warship construction in the years leading up to the Second World War brought about a revival of shipbuilding on the Clyde.
The Palace of Engineering was the largest building at the Exhibition. It covered 5 acres and was claimed to be the largest temporary building ever constructed. Remarkably, it was erected in only three months, using 1,200 tons of steel.
The importance of heavy industry to the West of Scotland was greatly in evidence and the role of engineering in building the British Empire was emphasised. Exhibits were arranged in seven sections: building materials; electricity; engineering; gas; hardware, ironmongery and brassfoundry; shipbuilding and marine engineering; general.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC ef606.4 (1938)
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
British Empire, Empire Exhibition, engineering, exhibitions, marine engineering, model ships, Palace of Engineering, River Clyde, Scotts, shipbuilding, steel, Yarrow & Co