Port Glasgow Timber Ponds

The timber ponds at Port Glasgow today, with Dumbarton just across the Clyde (and a cameo appearance by me). Two towns closely associated with my family.

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries logs imported from North America for shipbuilding were stored in these ponds, seasoned by the salt water. As iron & steel became the standard material for ships, trade in timber gradually decreased. The last wooden ship built on the River Clyde was launched in 1859 but the ponds were still in use up until the start of the First World War. The pond stakes reappear when the tide is out and are visible for miles