Finnieston Crane

The Finnieston Crane or Stobcross Crane is a disused giant cantilever crane in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is no longer in working order, but is retained as a symbol of the city's engineering heritage. The crane was used for loading cargo, in particular steam locomotives, onto ships to be exported around the world.

It is one of four such cranes on the River Clyde, a fifth one having been demolished in 2007, and one of only eleven giant cantilever cranes remaining worldwide. The crane can be seen in the background of news broadcasts from BBC Pacific Quay.

History

Queens Dock was opened in August 1877 as a 61 acres (25 ha) dock for exporting goods from the centre of Glasgow. A 130 tonnes (130 long tons; 140 short tons) steam crane was constructed west of the current one in the 1890s, until it was demolished to make way for a proposed bridge crossing between Finnieston Quay and Mavisbank Quay that was never built. The present crane, constructed as a replacement, was the last giant cantilever crane to be built on the Clyde.

Finnieston

Coordinates: 55°51′44″N 4°17′17″W / 55.862276°N 4.288058°W / 55.862276; -4.288058

Finnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the North bank of the River Clyde and between the city's West End and the city centre. It is home to the SECC, where many musical concerts and important conferences are held. It is also the location of Glasgow City Heliport, home base of both the Strathclyde Police air support unit and the Scottish Ambulance Service "Helimed 5".

Exhibition Centre railway station, on the Argyle Line, was previously known as Stobcross station. Built by the Glasgow Central Railway and opened in 1894, it was closed in 1955. When it was reopened in 1979 it was called 'Finnieston' until it was given its current name in 1986. A separate Finnieston railway station of the Glasgow City and District Railway was opened in 1886 but is now disused. However, the line is still in use as part of the North Clyde Line.

The area has had a significant change in land-use since deindustrialisation. Previously, Finnieston was an area of warehouses and docks — the film Deathwatch (aka "La Mort en Direct"), used this aspect extensively in location shots. Today there are modern housing, office, retail, leisure and arts & culture developments. Finnieston Street is a major junction on the Clydeside Expressway, and on 18 September 2006, was augmented with the addition of the Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the River Clyde.