Govan Shipyard
Location type
WorksNames and dates
Fairfield Shipyard (1834-1972)Govan Shipyard (1972-)
Served by the Fairfield Shipyard Railway.
Description
1834 - 1968, Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
1968 - 1971, Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
1972 - 1977, Govan Shipbuilders
1977 - 1988, British Shipbuilders
1988 - 1999, Kværner
1999 - present, BAE
The shipyard was served by rail from the Govan terminus which then used the street tramway along Govan Road to reach the shipyard. The shipyard had its own locomotives, including two electric using overhead wires along Govan Road. One may have been built and used here before being going to be used at Pinkston Power Station in 1939.
The yard was laid out with downriver facing slips to the east and a fitting out basin to the west. The 'Titan' crane here was by William Arrol & Co. Demolished 2007.
Fairfield Govan Heritage
The fitting out basin was filled in by March 2023 to become the site of a 'frigate factory'. BAE also owns the dry docks of the Elderslie Dockyard in Scotstoun.
Tags
Ship YardExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
| Nearby stations Partick West Govan [Subway] Whiteinch Riverside Merkland Street [Subway] Govan Partick Partickhill Partick [Subway] Crow Road Yorkhill Kelvin Hall Kelvinhall [Subway] Ibrox Excursion Platforms Hyndland Ibrox [Subway] | Meadowside Quay Partick Saw Mills Meadowside Granary Merklands Quay Partick West Junction Partick East Junction Merklands Lairage Partick North Junction Meadowside Shipbuilding Yard Govan Cabinet Works Tourist/other Govan Wharf Landing Stage Govan Wharf Elder Park Meadowside Landing Stage Govan Old Parish Church |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| / /1876 | Govan Branch (Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway) Access to Fairfield Shipyard (from Govan) and Linthouse Shipyard (originally from Govan later from Shieldhall Goods) over the Vale of Clyde Tramways using locomotives approved - if approved by Board of Trade (it was approved). |
| /02/1968 | Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Upper Clyde Shipbuilders created by merger of Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (Fairfield Shipyard), Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd (Linthouse Shipbuilding & Engineering Works), Charles Connell and Company (Scotstoun Shipbuilding Yard) and John Brown and Company (Clydebank Engineering and Shipbuilding Works). The new company had a majority shareholding of Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. |
| 14/12/1999 | Govan Shipyard Fairfield Shipyard bought by BAE Systems and Clydeport from Kvaerner. |
