Helensburgh

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This article is about the Scottish burgh. For the suburb of Wollongong in Australia, see Helensburgh, New South Wales.

Helensburgh's "Rhu Road", looking west towards Rhu, Rosneath and the Gare Loch.

Helensburgh (Baile Eilidh in Gaelic) is a burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gare Loch. Helensburgh was formerly in Dumbarton District, but was re-allocated under local government reorganisation in 1995. Prior to 1975 it was part of the former Dunbartonshire. The present Lady of Helensburgh is Baroness Eilidh Watson, and Eilidh happens to be Gaelic for Helen.

1 History
2 The town today
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Colquhoun Square in Helensburgh town centre.

Helensburgh was founded in 1776 when Sir Ian Colquhoun of Luss built spa baths on the site of Ardencaple Castle, which dated back to about 1600. He then had the seaside resort town constructed to the east of the spa on a formal layout in the style of Edinburgh New Town, and named it after his wife Helen. A ferry service he arranged across the Firth of Clyde to Greenock was successful in attracting residents who could commute from jobs there to attractive homes in the new town.^[1]

In 1808 Henry Bell bought the public baths and hotel, which his wife superintended while he continued his interest in early steamboats such as the nearby Charlotte Dundas and the North River Steamboat which Robert Fulton had just introduced at New York City. To improve hotel trade he had the paddle steamer Comet constructed and in 1812 introduced Europe's first successful steamboat service, bringing passengers down the River Clyde from Glasgow to Greenock and Helensburgh. The Clyde steamer trade developed rapidly, and Helensburgh pier and Craigendoran pier at the east end of the town both became major departure points. From 1858 holidaymakers were brought to the resort and the steamers by the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh railway terminus built in the centre of the town, and in 1894 a second railway station was built higher up the hill on a new line from Glasgow to Fort William and Oban.^[1]

Helensburgh born coal miner Charles Harper emigrated to New South Wales (now a state of Australia) and became the first manager of the Metropolitan Coal Company before being killed in a mine accident in 1887. In that year the company took over the mining lease on an area south of Sydney known as Camp Creek. When the coal mine opened the following year, the town was named Helensburgh, possibly named after his birthplace or after his daughter Helen. The two Helensburghs are now sister cities.^[2]

Hill House, Helensburgh.

In 1903, Charles Rennie Mackintosh built the Hill House for the publishing tycoon Walter Blackie. The house, on the north edge of town, is one of the best examples of his style, with startlingly modern interiors incorporating furniture which he designed. It is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is popular tourist attraction.

The town is also notable as the birthplace of John Logie Baird, Deborah Kerr and Jack Buchanan.

[edit] The town today

Helensburgh today acts as a commuter town for nearby Glasgow, with a population at the 2001 census of 14,626, and also serves as a main shopping centre for the area and for tourists attracted to the seaside resort. Helensburgh is also influenced by the presence of the Clyde Naval Base at Faslane on the Gare Loch, a few miles to the north.

The town is served by three railway stations, Helensburgh Upper on the West Highland Line, Craigendoran, on the North Clyde Line and Helensburgh Central, the terminus of the North Clyde Line.

The seafront has an indoor swimming pool, an esplanade walk and yachting facilities including the nearby marina at Rhu.^[3] The streets are built on a gentle slope rising to the north east, and at the brow of the hill a golf club has views looking south out over the town to the Clyde, and to the north across nearby Loch Lomond to the Trossachs hills.^[4]

A regular passenger ferry service runs from Helensburgh pier to Kilcreggan and Gourock, usually on the historic ferry Kenilworth; Craigendoran pier fell into disuse in the late 20th Century. The paddle steamer Waverley calls in to Helensburgh pier during summer sailings.