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This tidal harbour, today associated with old hulks lying in the mud exposed at the low tide, is the western entry to the Forth and Clyde Canal. It is enclosed by two structures, a dyke to the west (built 1856 by the Clyde Navigation Trust) and the eastern (built 1846) which was a long timber quayside, now almost totally gone. It was laid out in 1846 when a new sea lock from the western side of Bowling Canal Basin opened into the harbour. The older 1775 sea lock opens southwards to the river. Interestingly when the canal first opened the majority of the traffic travelled to Glasgow via the canal to Stockingfield and Port Dundas rather than up the river to the Broomielaw as the river was shallow but the canal had a fixed depth. Several 'lay-by' berths were built at Bowling in the 1840s - their purpose was to allow large vessels going up the Clyde to Glasgow to pause and stay safely afloat as the tide went out before continuing once the tide had risen again. Further dredging of the river stopped this practice in the late 1850s.

Along the north side of the harbour is the original shoreline, somewhat altered by the building of the railway and other works (some of the original shoreline was north of the railway). There are eleven bollards, the western eight of which are one raised stone built pyramids.

The western half was used by the North British Railway and London and North Eastern Railway for over-wintering of their summer only vessels, until 1952. Additionally vessels were stored here before receiving attention at the neighbouring shipyard.

The eastern half was owned by the Caledonian Railway. Coastal steamers brought iron ore and limestone here, which was trans-shipped to barges and lighters to continue their journey by the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Sidings served a quayside with rail mounted travelling cranes located at the north east corner of the harbour, this was a bunkering quay alongside the Harbour Master's office. It also handled general cargo (timber, limestone, iron ore etc). This was served from both the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway (to the north and open today) and the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway (closed - access was from Bowling Harbour Signal Box to the east, the line running west by a small swing bridge alongside the much larger bridge extant today). Coal, and later oil, was delivered to the bunkering quay.

This harbour has for over a hundred years been the final resting place of vessels, the PS Industry of 1814 being one of the first. Latterly in use between Glasgow and Greenock, she was sunk after a collision in 1862 and having been raised was decommissioned in 1869. The engine (her second of 1828) was removed to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery Museum and the hulk was left to deteriorate in Bowling Harbour. The engine is now at the Riverside Museum.

In the Second World War the Clyde River Patrol was based here, operating motor fisher vessels between the Broomielaw and Gourock.

Periodic clear outs of the Bowling Canal Basin of vessels with no known owner have led to vessels being tied up in the harbour and left to deteriorate and sink. In recent years a clean out of the harbour has seen many obstructions removed between the harbour entrance and the sea lock.

It has been suggested the harbour could be filled in for housing, or other developments. This would result in the loss of a potentially great resource and attraction on the Clyde, a location ideal for small craft and a port of refuge in a beautiful spot by the Kilpatrick Hills. In the early nineteenth century Bowling was described as a "famous resort in the early months of spring". It could be again.

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