Blog at the Ballast

Today's photo is one which caused me some confusion this week! I'm the Project Scotland volunteer who's been scanning old photos of paddlesteamers. Usually, after scanning a photograph, I look up the ship in one or two places, such as the Clydebuilt database, and find a little information to put on our flickr. Not this one, however. It looked to me like a very early paddle...

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Today's Friday photo is the paddlesteamer Premier. Built by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton, in 1846, she was first owned by the Dumbarton Steamboat Company. She was bought by John Tizard of Weymouth, and then by Cosens and Company, and worked for them for over 70 years. Before her scrapping in 1938, she was said to be the oldest paddle steamer afloat...

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This week's Friday photograph is an unusual view of the P.S. Meg Merrilies, second of that name.  This ship was built for the North British Steam Packet Company in 1883, by Barclay Curle & Company of Whiteinch. Unfortunately, she was considered too slow and returned to the builders after one season. She was sold to Captain Campbell of Kilmun, subsequently to the Caledonian...

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