大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - The hidden ships鈥� graveyard that shines a light on a long-gone era

The hidden ships鈥� graveyard that shines a light on a long-gone era

18 April 2019

When a Glasgow man explored Clydeside on Google Earth, he made a remarkable discovery that shone a light onto a long-gone era of Scottish industry. He spotted an unusual pattern of shapes in the muddy banks of the River Clyde and alerted archaeologists to his find.

A ships鈥� graveyard

Jamie Crawford visits a fascinating legacy of the river Clyde鈥檚 industrial heritage.

Ellie Graham investigated the site and, on Scotland from the Sky, explained what had been discovered. “We found a massive group of wooden barges; we call them ‘mud punts’ because they were moved by punting around the river.”

She continued, “They worked in partnership with steam dredgers and removed the spoil that they excavated from the river banks.

“The problem with the River Clyde is that it is naturally a very shallow river, so in order to allow big boats to come up and down to trade – and then later for the big boats that were built on the Clyde – they had to put in a lot of effort to deepen the river.”

While these little barges may now seem nothing more than piles of discarded timber, they played a crucial role in Glasgow’s trade with the world — and in the development of the city itself.