Historic Govan

Archaeology and Development

by Chris Dalglish and Stephen T Driscoll

With contributions by Irene Maver, Norman F Shead and Ingrid Shearer

This survey gives an accessible and broad-ranging synthesis of the history and archaeology of Govan, and aims to inform conservation guidance for future development.

Situated on the south bank of the river Clyde, just to the west of Glasgow, Govan to most people is synonymous with shipbuilding and social deprivation. Govan is, however, a remarkable place, with a history stretching back to the fifth or sixth century AD when it was a seat of royal and religious power. The church of Govan Old stands upon one of the oldest Christian sites in western Scotland. A key factor in its history has been its location at a major river crossing, where the Kelvin joins the Clyde, and the book also considers the role of Partick on the opposite bank in the medieval period.

Govan has enjoyed two periods of great importance – as a centre of royal power in the early historic period, with a major church at Govan Old, and as the centre of shipbuilding on the Clyde in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The importance of the site in the later first millennium is reflected in the renowned collection of carved stones at Govan Old.

The authors consider the development of the settlement around Water Row and Govan Cross through the later medieval and post-medieval periods when it was a thriving craft centre, focused on handloom weaving. At the same time, local landowners and merchants began to establish country retreats in the surrounding area.

The book explores in detail, with numerous maps and images, the huge physical transformation that Govan underwent in the nineteenth century, from a small village of artisans to the centre of the world-renowned Clyde shipbuilding industry. It also considers the impact of its designation as a Police Burgh in 1864, and its later merger with Glasgow in 1912.

The industrialisation of Govan brought with it a range of social issues which are explored, including recent work to revitalise the post-industrial town.

This book is part of the Scottish Burgh Survey – a series funded by Historic Scotland designed to identify the archaeological potential of Scotland’s historic towns. This volume will be suitable for general readers, planners, local government officers, undergraduate students of Scottish urban history, course lecturers. The authors are both lecturers in historical archaeology at the University of Glasgow, with expertise in the archaeology of both Early Medieval and post-medieval Scotland.

Key Points

1. Part of the established series, the Scottish Burgh Survey.
2. Extensively illustrated with archive images and maps.
3. An interesting introduction for general readers.
4. Includes useful information for planners.
5. Complete with an A2 folded colour broadsheet

Info: ISBN - 978 1 902771 62 5; 200pp, 135 illus incl colour, Dec 2009
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