The Skelpies

This 33-foot-high stainless-steel sculpture at Port Glasgow is indeed a magnificent sight; a memorial to the centuries of shipbuilding on the Lower River Clyde and a means of honouring all those workers. It’s proper title is ‘The Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow’ but everyone calls them ‘The Skelpies’

It’s certainly eye-catching; though to my eyes it seems to dehumanise those workers making them appear as automatons, swinging their hammers robotically to bend steel plate and close rivets. And maybe that’s an intended interpretation. The construction doesn’t seem to celebrate the knowledge and skills of the workforce but focusses only their brawn.

This part of the Clyde has been synonymous with shipbuilding for so long; so many ships built here sailed all over the world, from the early tea clippers to oil tankers. The first successful commercial steam vessel, P.S. Comet was built here in 1812.

Now, only one shipyard remains operational, the Ferguson yard and that only with much controversy. This failing business was bought by the Scottish Government in 2019 for one pound sterling in order to save the industry. Since then, mismanagement at the yard has resulted in two ferries being built well out of time and over budget. I believe it was still the right thing to do and the yard will recover from the shaky start to its regeneration.

The Ferguson Marine Yard completing the construction of the ferry ‘Glen Rosa’

I still wonder what the many young unemployed think of this sculpture. As it celebrates the economic and technical successes of the past when much of the local area is now deprived, can they really believe that £600,000 was well spent in the creation of this masterpiece.

Above image:- Nikon D7500 + Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 @ 40mm; f8, 1/400 sec, ISO 100
Lead Image:- Nikon D7500 + Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 @ 32mm; f13, 1/400 sec, ISO 100