The three dry docks at Govan in Glasgow – Govan Graving Docks – have been described by Historic Scotland as “an outstanding graving dock complex without parallel in Scotland”.
The graving docks were built in the late 19th century by the Clyde Navigation Trust and could accommodate the largest ships in the world at the time. They were in use to repair and maintain ships up until their closure in 1987. Since closing down the docks have remained derelict.
Govan Graving Docks are category A-listed and are on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
The dry docks are built from grey granite some of which is hand carved. They are a monument to the people who built them and repaired ships in them for over 100 years. There is a strong moral duty of stewardship over their legacy and our aim is for the site to be acquired by a dedicated charity to prevent them again falling into the hands of speculative developers.
It is the only historic dock site left on the Upper Clyde that has not been filled in for modern redevelopments. This means that a sympathetic regeneration of the site is all the more important – for Govan, Glasgow and in terms of significance to maritime heritage in both a national and international context.