The Wotherspoon Collection

 

A pictorial record of the history of shipbuilding and shipping on the River Clyde held in the Special Collections section of The Mitchell.

 

James Wotherspoon (1858-1936) was born into a well-to-do family in Glasgow where his father had a confectionery business.


In the 1870s, capitalising on the newly-discovered use of asbestos for steam engine packing, he started up an asbestos and rubber factory and so began the family's working relationship with ships and shipping.

 

 

Wotherspoon began collecting cuttings relating to shipbuilding in the 1890s although his major work, In the Track of the Comet, was published later. 

 

An image of 'The Comet' from the Wotherspoon collection

 

Illustration of the 'Comet' from the Wotherspoon Collection

 

The collection comprises 41 volumes and provides a pictorial record of the rise and progress of shipbuilding and shipping on the Clyde, the West Coast of Scotland and the Channel between the years 1812 - 1930.  

 

Image of the 'Hispania' from the Wotherspoon collection


Illustration of the 'Hispania' from the Wotherspoon Collection

Included are:

  • illustrations of ships
  • portraits of shipbuilders and engineers, ship owners and ship captains
  • drawings of flags and funnels
  • views of lighthouses, piers and railways stations

 

 

 

This collection was digitised as part of a SCRAN project. If you are using a PC located within The Mitchell Library, then you can use this link to their Web site to view illustrations from the collection online by using 'wotherspoon' as your search term.