Greenock

Greenock (Grianaig in Scottish Gaelic) is a town (burgh of barony) in the district of Inverclyde in Western Scotland. Its population was recorded as being 45,467 in the 2001 census, a decrease from about 78,000 in 1966. It lies on the South bank of the River Clyde in what was the traditional county of Renfrewshire.

History

The history of the town's name is uncertain. It is generally accepted, however, that the town is named after the Gaelic word for 'sun', grian, either as grian-aig (sunny bay) or grian-cnoc (sunny hill). Some fancifully suppose the town's name comes from the words "Green Oak" (as in the folk song The Green Oak Tree). As local legend would have it the Scottish freedom fighter Sir William Wallace allegedly hid in one of these "Green Oak" trees whilst being pursued by English forces.

Related Topics:
Gaelic - William Wallace - English

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Greenock was founded as a fishing village sometime prior to 1592 when it split from the Inverkip parish. After the 1707 Act of Union, Greenock's facilities made it the main port on the West Coast and it prospered due to trade with the Americas, importing sugar from the Caribbean. By the mid 19th century Greenock's importance and wealth was manifested in the construction of the Municipal Buildings, whose Italianate Victoria Tower, completed in 1886, stands 245 feet tall. Further evidence can be seen in the large villas of Greenock's west end, one time home to the shipowners and investors. The three-quarter mile sweep of the Esplanade with its views across the Clyde to Kilcreggan almost convinces the visitor that no heavy industry could have been anywhere nearby.

Related Topics:
Fishing - 1592 - Inverkip - 1707 Act of Union - Americas - Sugar - Caribbean - 19th century - Victoria - 1886 - Clyde - Kilcreggan

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Greenock suffered badly during the Second World War. In April 1940 the French Destroyer Maillé Brézé blew up off Greenock with heavy loss of life following an accident involving her own torpedoes. Although this disaster occurred before the Free French Naval Forces were established, many people tend to regard the Cross of Lorraine on Lyle Hill as a memorial to the loss of the Maillé Brézé as well as to the later losses of the Free French naval vessels which sailed from the town.

Related Topics:
Second World War - April - 1940 - French - Destroyer - Free French - Cross of Lorraine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the nights of 6th May and 7th May 1941 around 300 Luftwaffe aircraft attacked the town, aiming for the shipyards. Large areas of the centre and east were completely destroyed. Almost 300 people died and thousands were injured.

Related Topics:
6th May - 7th May - 1941 - Luftwaffe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Greenock thrived in the post-war years but as the heavy industries declined in the 1970s and 1980s unemployment became a major problem, and it has only been in the last ten years with reinvestment and the redevelopment of large sections of the town that the local economy has started to revive. Tourism has also appeared as an unexpected bonus with the development of the Clydeport Container Terminal as an Ocean Terminal for cruise ships crossing the Atlantic.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1980s - Atlantic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Greenock reached its population peak in 1921 (81,123) and was once the sixth largest town in Scotland.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The town has a daily evening newspaper, The Greenock Telegraphhttp://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk, a football team, Greenock Morton FChttp://www.gmfc.net, and is also home to Greenock Cricket Clubhttp://www.greenockcricketclub.com, winners of the SNCL Premier Division in 2002 and holders of the Coronel Scottish Cup. It has featured recently as the backdrop to two successful films: Sweet Sixteen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313670/ and Dear Frankie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377752/.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~