Painting on masthead RFHS web ?

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings from NZ

I'm very interested in the painting, selected by the Renfrewshire Family History Society, to use as part of their web site masthead. I can not find a credit, or date for it.

Unfortunately the only email address, for enquiries from down under, that I could find on the site, was/is not supported. [virginmedia/ntlworld] It bounced back.

I'm guessing that the painting is of the Clyde and Glasgow, and possibly set some 200 years ago. Do you know the answer ?

Alan SHARP.

[LesleyB]

Is it the picture on this page Alan?
http://www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk/

[Alan SHARP]

Is it the picture on this page Alan?
http://www.renfrewshirefhs.co.uk/

Greetings Lesley.

That's what I call quick service. Hardly sent, before I have the first reply. Must be tired, as I never thought to create a link, though I not that accomplished at those sort of tricks yet. Takes me a while to get it correct.

Thanks. Alan SHARP

[LesleyB]

I would not be at all surprised if it depicts somewhere in Renfrewshire, but I'm sure some of our members from that area will recognise it and solve the puzzle.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings.

Deciding seeing the vista through a photographer's eyes might be a help, I emailed Gerry BLAIKIE of Scotcities.com and he has generously replied with a landscape photo of the confluence of the White & Black Cart at Renfrew. Though from a slightly different perspective, it would appear to have been the artist’s subject. This would also tie in with it being the RFHS's web pages. Now just got to find a credit and dating for the illustration.

Alan SHARP.

[LesleyB]

Hi Alan
My other half, a Renfrewshire lad, says that it is not the confluence of the White & Black Cart at Renfrew. His best guess, based on the falls to the left, is that it is likely the White Cart water, at Paisley, with the artist's view being from what is now called Seedhill.

You can see this view on googlemaps, but obviously although the falls are still there, the town is built up a good deal more, and the bridge in the painting is no longer there.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 95.02,,0,5
To the left you can see the falls, to the right, a bridge (new) and spires. this is not the point of view of the painting, but you cannot access the possible stand point on googlemaps street view.
Best wishes
Lesley

[Alan SHARP]

Hi Alan
My other half, a Renfrewshire lad, says that it is not the confluence of the White & Black Cart at Renfrew. His best guess, based on the falls to the left, is that it is likely the White Cart water, at Paisley, with the artist's view being from what is now called Seedhill.

Lesley

Please convey my thanks to your other half. Gerry prefixed his comments with "I can't be certain".
Being from the other side of the earth, I was having great difficulty locating falls, bridge, and old buildings, [which seen to last forever in Scotland - bombs & re-development permitting] plus artistic licence etc etc, but for me that landscape and the photos which Gerry has published re Cathcart, and the White Cart at Linn (waterfalls) etc, has great significance, as it is where the bare footed SHARP'S (1820’s ) roamed before taking the trip down under, never to return.

Alan SHARP.

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings All.

When the "locals" are shaking their heads, how is a laddie, like me, with an upside down view of Renfrew, ever going to succeed. My gut feeling is that the illustration represents the landscape some 200 years, or more, ago and that is about the time that the Clyde and its tributes felt the hand of the industrialisation era. Successively deepened, and widened, navigable water ways, canals, docks, slipways etc.

The Gazetteer for Scotland 2002 - 2010 give these figures for widths across: QUTOE
Mouth of the Cart - 1800, 800 feet - 1840-1849, 275 feet - 1881, 500 feet
Renfrew...................., 340 feet ............., 245 feet,........, 410 feet
Finnieston Quay...................................., 160 feet,........, 400 feet.
Napier Dock........................................., 150 feet,........, 490 feet. END QUOTE

Both mb and KennethM have sent PM's, and this is what KennethM has had to say, after I sent that information about dredging.

QUOTE:
Hi Alan,

This is an interesting puzzle...

I’m looking at a book “Lost Glasgow” by Carol Foreman just now. The bridge in the picture looks similar to the Old Bridge in Glasgow as can be seen in an engraving by Joseph Swan from 1776. The humpback and the design of the arches are quite similar except for the fact that there are seven arches on the bridge from the engraving compared with three on the picture. Could be some artistic licence though , maybe three arches is more aesthetically pleasing in a painting than seven?

I also wondered if the church that can be seen beyond the bridge is that of St. Enoch Church built in 1780.

Just speculation at the moment – more detective work needed.

I’ll try and e-mail you a copy of the engraving.

Best,
Ken
END QUOTE.

Alan SHARP.

[Hibee]

I'm thinking that it's a view of Abbey Bridge, from just below Seedhill Craigs.

http://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch/view/?sid=74964128

Hibee

[LesleyB]

Hi Alan

The bridge in the picture looks similar to the Old Bridge in Glasgow

I'd be a bit puzzled though as to why Renfrewshire FHS would have as their masthead an image of Glasgow...?

I'm thinking that it's a view of Abbey Bridge, from just below Seedhill Craigs.

That agrees with my other half's hunch of the artist standing at Seedhill.

Best wishes
Lesley