A. and J. Inglis
of Pointhouse Ship Yard and Whitehall Engine Works, 64 Warroch Street, Glasgow.
1837 Anthony Inglis, a young journeyman blacksmith, set up in business for himself in Anderston, and took contracts from shipbuilders for ships' smithwork.
1847 Anthony was joined by his younger brother John supplying marine engineering.
Larger premises were acquired in Warroch Street.
1850 They obtained their first important marine contract, to supply the machinery of the tug steamer ‘Clyde’. See 1897 entry below.
1855 Contracted to supply the machinery for the ‘Tasmanian’, one of the pioneer screw steamers, one of the largest and fastest vessels built up to that date.
1862 the Messrs. Inglis added shipbuilding to marine engineering, and acquired ground at the confluence of the Kelvin and the Clyde for that purpose.
1862 They opened their first shipbuilding yard, Pointhouse. They went on to build iron steamers and sailing ships for British, German and American companies amongst others.
1865 See 1865 Clyde Shipbuilders for detail of the tonnage produced.
1884 Anthony Inglis died in 1884 and his son John Inglis Junior took over. John Inglis himself, was well known for many maritime activities.
1880s The yard built nine pairs of large tankers for Standard Oil, followed by 12 large cargo-liners for British India Line. After this, the yard mainly built small coastal ships.
1889 See 1889 Shipbuilding Statistics for detail of the tonnage produced.
1889 See 1889 Shipbuilding Statistics for detail of the marine engines produced.
1894 Antwerp Exhibition. Displayed a model of SS Taroba [1]
1897 Article in Engineering on the firm's jubilee, outlining the company history and describing some of its products. Drawings were included of the paddle engine of the 1850 tug Clyde, which was still in service.[2]
1897 Description and illustrations of triple-expansion engines for paddle steamers, including the 'Paris', built for the Messageries Fluviales del Plata, designed to develop 2500 indicated horse-power while running at about 32 rpm.[3]
1905 A. and J. Inglis Limited was incorporated as a private company, with capital of £150,000.[4] Its main output was Clyde paddlers for the North British Railway.
1907 The company was commissioned to make the Royal Yacht, Alexandra. This was the first time a private yard had been employed to do this.
1911 The Admiralty ordered a number of destroyers and minesweepers during World War I.
1914 Shipbuilders and engineers. Specialities: high-class passenger and cargo steamers, fast paddle steamers, steam and sailing yachts, builders of the Royal Yacht "Alexandra" for King Edward VII. Employees 1,500. [5]
1917 Harland and Wolff bought controlling shares in the company but the yard remained independent. The yard continued to make coasters, cable layers, passenger ferries and one-deck cargo coasters for a number of different South American companies.
1925 See Aberconway for information on shipbuilding h.p produced in 1904 and 1925.
1930s The yard received few orders during the Depression. Notably however, in 1935 they made the PS Talisman which was the first direct-acting diesel-electric paddle steamer in the world.
WWII The yard made a Humber ferry, standard coasters, coastal tankers, eleven corvettes and nine trawlers. The yard also made the PS Waverley, a twin-funnelled paddle steamer, which is still in use today, having been restored for Clyde excursions.
1940s/50s The yard made 14 whale catchers for Norwegian customers along with tugs, coasters, defence boats and paddlers.
1953 Engine for PS Maid of the Loch for Loch Lomond.
1963 The yard was closed as it was bought up by the Glasgow Corporation and redeveloped as a trading estate.
See Also
Sources of Information
- L. A. Ritchie, The Shipbuilding Industry: A Guide to Historical Records (1992)
- British Shipbuilding Yards. 3 vols by Norman L. Middlemiss
- Stationary Steam Engines of Great Britain by George Watkins. Vol 10
- National Records of Scotland BT2/1968/157
- ↑ The Engineer of 21st September 1894 p248
- ↑ Engineering 1897/07/30
- ↑ Engineering 1897/04/30
- ↑ The Scotsman 8 April 1905
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book