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Description

This large shipyard is on the north bank of the River Clyde in Scotstoun. It is a naval yard, owned by BAE Systems. It is no longer rail served.

In 1906-8 the Yarrows Shipyard on the Thames at Poplar was relocated to Scotstoun. Some 4-5000 tons of equipment were moved north by rail. The swap over was very slick, with no downtime. Yarrow Cottages were built for those staff who moved north.

The new yard was on a greenfield site. Scotstoun House was just to the north east. It was described as being surrounded by countryside on opening. The Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway had just opened and a yard was added at Scotstoun West Junction, south of the line, with a reversing spur leading to a street tramway on South Street which also served the neighbouring yards.

Ownership of the site during its operation has been complicated. The focus on naval vessels led to the Yarrow-Admiralty Research Department, although other work has been undertaken for oil and gas fields and power stations.

The yard expanded several times and now incorporates several formerly separate shipyards.

The Blythswood Shipbuilding Yard, to the immediate east was taken over in 1965 and converted to a covered work area. The immediately west graving docks of the Elderslie Dockyard, formerly owned by Barclay Curle, were added in 1974.

The yard is now part of BAE Systems, along with the former Fairfield Shipyard in Govan. As of 2018 the covered work area at the former Blythswood Shipbuilding Yard has been removed and much of the site awaits redevelopment for further government shipbuilding work.

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