Helensburgh
This article is about the Scottish burgh. For the suburb of Wollongong see Helensburgh, New South Wales. |
Helensburgh's "West Clyde Street", looking west towards Rhu, Rosneath and the Gare Loch. |
|
Colquhoun Square in Helensburgh town centre. |
Helensburgh (
Baile Eilidh in
Gaelic) is a
burgh in
Argyll and Bute,
Scotland. It was formerly in
Dumbarton District, but was re-allocated under local government reorganisation in 1995. Prior to 1975 it was part of the former
Dunbartonshire.
Helensburgh lies on the north shore of the
Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the
Gare Loch. It was founded in the eighteenth century in the style of
Edinburgh New Town, as a
seaside resort. Helensburgh pier and Craigendoran pier were once the main departure points for
Clyde steamers and the
paddle steamer Waverley still calls in to Helensburgh during summer sailings. A regular passenger
ferry service runs from the Helensburgh pier to
Kilcreggan and
Gourock. The Craigendoran pier fell into disuse in the late 20th Century.
In 1903,
Charles Rennie Mackintosh built the
Hill House for the publishing tycoon
Walter Blackie. The house, on the north edge of town, is now owned by the
National Trust for Scotland and is popular tourist attraction. The town is also notable as the birthplace of
John Logie Baird,
Deborah Kerr and
Jack Buchanan.
Its population at the 2001 census was 14,626.
Helensburgh acts as a commuter town for nearby
Glasgow, and is served by three railway stations,
Helensburgh Upper on the
West Highland Line, Craigendoran, on the
North Clyde Line and
Helensburgh Central, the terminus of the
North Clyde Line. Helensburgh is also heavily defined by the presence of the
Clyde Naval Base at
Faslane a few miles to the north, and by
yachting facilities including the nearby
marina at
Rhu.
The present Lady of Helensburgh is Baroness Eilidh Watson. Eilidh is Gaelic for Helen.
