THE Scottish Maritime Museum is showcasing a very different take on the history of shipbuilding by delving into the social archives of famous Clydeside shipbuilders, Alexander Stephen & Sons of Govan, and William Denny & Sons of Dumbarton.
Dubbed Shipyard Social, the exhibition delves into the Denny Arckivz, a collection of pictures, brochures, tickets and artefacts, recalling the organised social life of Denny workers between 1889 and 1950. This was a time when shipyard workers organised their social life around the company, with works outings and clubs, encouraged by the management, and competitions between various sections of the workforce.
Launch days were red letter days in the yard calendar, and on show are the tickets, brochures and photographs marking the launch of RMS Queen Mary at John Brown’s shipyard on September 26, 1934, a time of great rejoicing for the staff and workers, with families invited along to join the celebrations.
Alexander Stephen & Sons built a recreation club for its workers in 1920, providing tennis courts, two bowling greens, a football pitch, putting green and a licensed bar in its pavilion, all designed to help workers relax and compete against one another and teams from other yards. And all this was for a voluntary contribution of 3d per week!
Denny’s organised cruises ‘doon the water’ on the Clyde for workers and used the yard’s own tugboat, the Snark, to provide trips, while many members of the drawing office were members of the local operatic society.
Eva Bukowska, the museum’s exhibitions and events officer, said: “Much has been said about the tough, dangerous and sometimes uncertain working life in Scotland’s shipyards. Shipyard workers bound together into close-knit communities and their social lives and those of their families were often intertwined. This was an important counter to the hardships of the working day.”
Shipyard Social runs until Sunday, October 13 at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine and the cost of entry is included in the museum entry ticket. More details at www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org
