Another batch of pictures from this massive explosives factory. The full history of Bishopton is covered in my previous report, and in much more detail in my book Explosive Scotland.
First up, the Factory I guncotton plant – These beaters were used to chop up the nitrocellulose slurry:
This dates from the same era as the Torpedo Testing Station at Arrochar. It is, basically, a giant tank of water which was used to test the launching, running and possibly impact of torpedoes.
The tank itself is imposingly massive, with gantries and cranes at one end to lift up the test torpedoes. The other side contained labs.
Exploring disused manufacturing can sometimes be a bit depressing – all that decay, all those jobs that no longer exist, all that busy industry that has gone. So, when I worked out how to get into this large Scottish engineering company on two nights, it was a wonderful change to see a factory that’s still thriving and making things.
Back again for another look, and to cover the bits I missed. First, the barrel storage building, with a bunch of interesting conveyors to move the barrels about:
It’s funny, isn’t it – when Diageo announced that they would be closing the historic Port Dundas distillery in Glasgow, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, marches through the streets protesting about the job losses, and questions in parliament. However, like most explorers, my first thought was “that one is going on the list”.
This place is just down the road from me – for ages, I’ve been thinking it’d be a good place for a bike shop. Now I could phone up the agents and get the keys, but we don’t do things that way around here 
It’s an interesting art-deco-ish brick building that was expanded in the ’90s and converted into a bar and restaurant with a microbrewery on-site. It’s not very interesting really, but here you go:
It’s been, ooh, 15 minutes since I last did a report on this place 
Sadly, it now looks as if this place doesn’t have much longer…
Firstly the WWII-era Cordite press houses – this part is very torn up, looks like for buried electrical cable and scrap, very smashed up but still some lovely details left, like this Tangye press:
John Brown’s Giant Cantilever crane is one of four on the Clyde – the others are Finnieston, Barclay Curle, and the King George V in Greenock. Built by Sir William Arrol, this is the only one that’s being properly preserved – a good thing, even though that means fitting a lift for visitors and lots of multi-coloured lights… Continue reading →
Nobody seems to bother with the oil terminal at Inverkip Power Station – so here it is
It’s hard to know what to call this site, as it’s had so many names. The company of James Kilpatrick & Son was formed by master plumber James Stevenson Kilpatrick of Paisley, and it was when his son John got involved that the company became involved with electrical installation. They started off with installations in private houses (only the poshest houses had electric power at the time), and moved into armature winding and other heavier electrical work. Continue reading →
