Information AboutWemyss |
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| ports and harbours of scotland | |
| villages in inverclyde | |
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Wemyss Bay ("Wemyss" pronounced ''weemz'' ) is a village on the west Coast of the Firth Of Clyde in the district of Inverclyde , Scotland . The name derives from the Gaelic ''uaimh'', meaning 'cave'. It is the port for ferries to Rothesay on the Isle Of Bute . Passengers from the island can connect to Glasgow by train, which terminate in the village at the truly magnificent Wemyss Bay Railway Station , with a notable clock tower. It was designed by James Millar in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and the interior is an unforgettable essay in glass, steel and curves. It is one of Scotland's finest railway buildings. The port is very exposed, so in high winds the ferries must travel up river to Gourock to dock. HISTORY Wemyss Bay was created in the early 19th Century as a 'marine village' and watering-place by Robert Wallace of Kelly, whose lands were adjacent to the bay. Wallace became Greenock's first MP and was instrumental in establishing the Penny Post . London merchant James Alexander further developed the area by constructing the first steamboat pier, which was swept away by a gale in 1856 . Its successor suffered a similar fate, only to be eclipsed anyway by the impressive new railway terminus and pier. The opening of the railway connection in ''. A memorial on the shore road recalls 'The Gaiter Club', whose members included Trollope, Lord Kelvin , Viscount Palmerston and the Earl Of Shaftesbury . Neither Castle Wemyss nor James Salmon 's Wemyss House remain, having been demolished in the 1980s and 1940s respectively. Also gone is J.J. Burnet's Episcopal Inverclyde Church, which stood on the shore road. The Castle Wemyss estate and adjoining areas had been sold off in the 1960s to property developers and since then the village has grown considerably, albeit largely a dormitory settlement for Greenock and Glasgow. However several of the fine red sandstone properties remain, thankfully now seen as renovation, rather than demolition, opportunities. FURTHER READING Walter Smart's ''Skelmorlie'' ( 1968 ) provides a good account of both Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie. ''Gourock, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay from Old Photographs'' ( 1981 ) and ''Gourock, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay in Old Picture Postcards'' ( 1998 ) are also of interest. Unfortunately, all are currently out of print. EXTERNAL LINKS |