The Scottish Maritime Museum is an industrial museum with a Collection Recognised as Nationally Significant to Scotland. It is located at two sites in the West of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in Irvine and

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, with a focus on Scotland's shipbuilding heritage.

Irvine - The Linthouse

The museum's Linthouse building is located at

Irvine Harbour The harbours serving Irvine at Seagatefoot and Fullarton in North Ayrshire have had a long and complex history. Irvine's harbour was one of the most important ports in Scotland in the 16th century. Across from the main harbour at Fullarton on th ...

, situated within the

category A listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

former Engine Shop of

Alexander Stephen and Sons Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland. History The co ...

, which was salvaged and relocated from their derelict

Linthouse Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...

shipyard in Glasgow in 1991. The Linthouse engineering shop is now home to a collection of significant vessels including MV ''Kyles'' and MV ''Spartan'' which are listed on the National Historic Ships UK register. A highly significant vessel built of iron in 1872 in Paisley, MV ''Kyles'' is the oldest iron Clyde built vessel still afloat in the UK. It entered the museum's collection in 1984. The museum also has a collection of marine engines and industrial machine tools, and owns a recreated 1920s worker's tenement flat at Irvine Harbour. The museum also has a significant collection of artwork funded by the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. In 2020 the museum managed to raise funds to keep MV ''Kyles'' as a floating vessel. Image:Irvineharbourseaward.JPG, Image:Irvine Scottish Maritime Museum.jpg, Image:Scottishmaritimenuseumpontoons.JPG, Image:Clydepufferspartan.JPG, Image:Linthousebuilding2.JPG,

Dumbarton - Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank

The Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank, in Dumbarton, focuses on the world of the

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...

. Shipbuilder William Denny Jr of

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being buil ...

was inspired by the work of eminent naval architect

William Froude William Froude (; 28 November 1810 in Devon – 4 May 1879 in Simonstown, South Africa) was an English engineer, hydrodynamicist and naval architect. He was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships (suc ...

and completed the tank for his shipyard in 1883. It was the world's first commercial example of a ship testing tank. Re-opened as a museum in 1983, it retains many of its original features, including the original 100-meter-long tank. The museum also tells the story of the test tank's original owners, William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton, one of the most innovative shipbuilding companies in the world until their closure in 1963. Image:The Denny Tank - geograph.org.uk - 1135975.jpg, Image:Engine of Paddle Steamer Leven, Dumbarton - geograph.org.uk - 174441.jpg, Image:Scottish Maritime Museum - geograph.org.uk - 2389798.jpg, Image:William Froude memorial on facade of museum - geograph.org.uk - 1135938.jpg, Image:Scottish Maritime Museum - geograph.org.uk - 2389781.jpg,

Trust Structure

The museum is an independent museum operated by a charitable trust: the Scottish Maritime Museum Trust. It became operational in 1983. The first trust chairperson was Clydeside shipbuilder Ross Belch who held the post until 1998 The trust includes Scottish industrial historian

John R. Hume Professor John R. Hume OBE is an architectural and business historian, author and photographer. He spent 20 years at the University of Strathclyde, researching and lecturing on Economic and Industrial History, before being employed as the princ ...

among its trustees. The founding Director was Dr Henry C. McMurray.Trustees of the SS Great Britain
retrieved 22 July 2013.

Notes

External links

Scottish Maritime Museum at Irvine and Dumbarton
{{Authority control Ships of Scotland Transport museums in Scotland Museums in North Ayrshire Museums in West Dunbartonshire Museums in Renfrewshire Maritime museums in Scotland Irvine, North Ayrshire

Irvine - The Linthouse

Dumbarton - Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank

Trust Structure

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links