Blog at the Ballast

This year we're part of Renfrewshire's Doors Open Day, with the aim to ensure that Scotland's built heritage old and new is accessible to people living and visiting the country throughout September every weekend!  Come along on Saturday 8th September 10am -4pm to our premises 18-20 Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone to have a look around and find out more about what we do! We've been...

Continue Reading

Want to learn more about what we do here at the Ballast Trust, or the importance of business archives?! Come along and visit us on Saturday 8th September 10am- 4pm at 18-20 Walkinshaw Street, Johnstone as part of Renfrewshire's doors open days! More information to follow! ...

Continue Reading

This week we were challenged on twitter by the Irish Jesuit Archives in Dublin to participate in #archivelife. Over 7 days we are sharing a new image of the Trust in black & white with no humans and no explanations. So for this weeks Friday photo, here's a look at what the photographs we've been sharing of inside the Trust with no humans...

Continue Reading

As part of our continued social media campaign to celebrate and raise awareness of the Trust's 30th anniversary, throughout July and August on Twitter we have been sharing extracts from Bill Lind's diary and personal correspondence. Continuing on from #Ballast30 where we shared facts all about the Trust from our favourite object to understanding how we catalogue ship plans. Both images were taken...

Continue Reading

This week's Friday Photo is a copy of a line drawing of 'Coriolanus' a 3 masted iron ship, built by Archibald McMillan & Son in Dumbarton. It was built in 1876. This lovely plan, found by our volunteer Craig Osborne, is part of the Phil Thomas collection. Below are some images of the ship, where the detail on the plans can be clearly...

Continue Reading

One of our most popular and favourite'd images on Flickr is 'Atlantic Locomotive'. Built by Andrew Barclay & Co. in 1907 for the Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway (Type 0-6-2 T.  Works number 1098.)  The records of Andrew Barclay & Co. are held at the University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections. Find out more about the Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway. Records suggest...

Continue Reading