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...

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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! ...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Ref: DC188-1-6 This week's Friday Photo is from our Dan McDonald collection. 'Ailie' was Dan's yacht, purchased in 1925 along with his friend, Andrew Roulston. Ailie was refitted at Port Bannatyne and was used for regular weekend and holiday sailing.  Ref: DC188-1-21 The Dan McDonald collection which is comprised of over five thousand negatives, each documenting the activity and latter inactivity on the...

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After our photo shoot yesterday with photographer, Greg Smith, I thought this weeks Friday photo would be a timely opportunity to show a few of the lovely new and up to date photos of the Trust! The main workroom at Walkinshaw Street Our Surveying Officer Chris looking over shipping plans. Our Director Professor Tony Slaven and our Archivist Kiara looking through a ledger...

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This week I was fortunate enough to participate in Edinburgh University's Centre for Research Collections summer school. This was an exciting opportunity to learn more about the CRC and the collections held by the University. Throughout the week we were given a series of talks geared towards providing our group with a better understanding of archives, curating an exhibition, alongside preventive and interventive...

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Inspired by the beautiful weather we have been having, this week's Friday photo is of Lossiemouth fish quay. This coloured glass negative (Ref: DC188/1/13/31) is part of our Dan McDonald collection. National Library of Scotland's Moving Image Archive have a lovely film of Lossiemouth's fishing industry, detailing the preparations before, during and after a catch. ...

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This week I attended 'Paisley's Industrial and Cultural Heritage Conference' held at Paisley Town Hall. This day long conference was presented jointly by The Paisley Centre for Business and Industrial History (UWS), the Business Archives Council of Scotland and Renfrewshire Council and was supported by Paisley Townscape and Heritage and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (TH.CARS2) funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment...

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In preparation for tomorrow's theme on all things Engineering, I thought this week's Friday photo would be a nice opportunity to show some of Bill's collection of shipyard and engine works photographs.  This image is of the only diesel engine designed and built by Kincaids. This was fitted for the mv Kindiesel built by Ardrossan Dockyard, Yard no 361 in 1936.  This photo...

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This week, we have a beautiful three-masted iron sailing ship from the Dan McDonald Collection, the 'Earl of Zetland'. Like most of the glass negatives in this collection, this particular ship was built on the Clyde, at Archibald McMillan & Sons yard in Dumbarton in 1875. She is recorded as carrying many immigrants to Australia and New Zealand, with one group of immigrants...

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This week's Friday photo is of a few of our lovely volunteers! As it's #VolunteerWeek we wanted to show some of our volunteers who work with the Trust on a weekly basis. The Trust owes its success to our volunteers and their enthusiasm, dedication and vast knowledge (on all things!). Here's 3 of our volunteers; Graham (left) who is currently working on Stephen's...

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This week I have been focusing on box listing Clyde Port Authority and Clyde Navigation Trust material from Glasgow City Archives. This has brought up some interesting findings, in particular volumes of 'Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects' and a beautiful set of watercolour plans of the Harbour of Glasgow from Clyde Navigation c.1875 and 1840.   Transactions of the Institutions of Naval...

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This week's Friday photo is one of the glass negatives from the Dan McDonald collection, which was digitised earlier this week by one of our volunteers, William Brown. The Dan McDonald collection is permanently held with the Trust and was bought by Bill Lind in 1996. The collection contains over 6,500 images of ships, vessels and places along the Clyde and west coast...

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This week I have been focussing on preparing for our upcoming twitter campaign #Ballast30! As this monthly favourite is also focussing on #Ballast30, I thought I would combine them both as I have spent this month planning the start of our 30th anniversary celebrations. I have also started box listing material from Clyde Navigation Trust and Clyde Port Authority, this is a large...

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This week's photo is from Bill's extensive postcard and photograph collection. This postcard is of paddle steamer 'Waverley' sailing around Lundy island on one of her voyages during the summer months!  As the weather today is lovely and sunny, this image seemed like an appropriate choice!  Photo credit to Ian Muir. Coincidentally we have some of Ian Muir's slides at the Ballast Trust...

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In late 2017 the Ballast Trust secured funding from Renfrewshire Council to establish a 6 month graduate trainee role as an Archives Assistant. I was appointed in January and have now been with the Ballast Trust for just over 2 months so it seems like an appropriate time to say hello and begin to update on some of the projects and tasks I...

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The crucial role of female workers within the shipping, manufacturing, and engineering industries has become more visible recently with campaigns and online content created by University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections, Glasgow Women’s Library, Go Industrial, Inverclyde Shipbuilding and Engineering and Imperial War Museum alongside other institutions that seeks to understand, identify and raise awareness of the important role women played within...

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