Summary Record

Date 1 July 2016

Event ID 1011963

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Summary Record

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1011963

The John Brown cantilever crane was completed in 1907 by Sir William Arrol and Co. in collaboration with Stothert and Pitt. The crane cost £24,600 to build and is approximately 150ft high, with a capacity of 150 tonnes (upgraded to 200 tonnes in 1938). It was the first electrically powered crane of its kind. It was erected on the fitting out dock to lift heavy items, such as boilers and armaments, onto ships being fitted out by the yard. The crane ceased operating c.1971, after shipbuilding at the site came to an end. It was given A-listed status in April 1989.

In 2004, the crane was acquired by urban regeneration company Clydebank Rebuilt. Restoration work was completed in 2007, at a cost of approximately £3.75 million. The crane was adapted for use as a visitor attraction and museum, serviced by a newly incorporated lift, with illuminations at night. In July 2013, the structure was presented with the Engineering Heritage Award from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

It is one of four cranes of this kind surviving on the River Clyde. The others are; the Finnieston/Stobcross crane, Glasgow (Cowans Sheldon and Co. of Carlisle, Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co., 1931, 175 tonnes); the James Watt Dock crane, Greenock, Inverclyde (Sir William Arrol and Co., 1917, 150 tonnes); the former Barclay Curle/North British Diesel Engine Works crane, Glasgow (Sir William Arrol and Co., 1920, 150 tonnes).

Information from Martin Conlon, 1 July 2016