"Highland Mary" was buried (1786). The west parish church in Nicholson
Street (1839) is in the Italian Renaissance style and has a campanile.
The middle parish church (1759) in Cathcart Square is in the Classic
style with a fine spire. Besides burial grounds near the infirmary and
attached to a few of the older churches, a beautiful cemetery, 90 acres
in extent, has been laid out in the south-western district. The parks
and open spaces include Wellington Park, Well Park in the heart of the
town (these were the gift of Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart), Whin Hill, Lyle
Road--a broad drive winding over the heights towards Gourock,
constructed as a "relief work" in the severe winter of 1879-1880.
Greenock is under the jurisdiction of a town council with provost and
bailies. It is a parliamentary burgh, represented by one member. The
corporation owns the supplies of water (the equipment of works and
reservoirs is remarkably complete), gas, electric light and power, and
the tramways (leased to a company). The staple industries are
shipbuilding (established in 1760) and sugar refining (1765).
Greenock-built vessels have always been esteemed, and many Cunard, P. &
O. and Allan liners have been constructed in the yards. The town has
been one of the chief centres of the sugar industry. Other important
industries include the making of boilers, steam-engines, locomotives,
anchors, chain-cables, sailcloth, ropes, paper, woollen and worsted
goods, besides general engineering, an aluminium factory, a
flax-spinning mill, distilleries and an oil-refinery. The seal and whale
fisheries, once vigorously prosecuted, are extinct, but the
fishing-fleets for the home waters and the Newfoundland grounds are
considerable. Till 1772 the town leased the first harbour (finished in
1710) from Sir John Shaw, the superior, but acquired it in that and the
following year, and a graving dock was opened in 1786. Since then
additions and improvements have been periodically in progress, and there
are now several tidal harbours--among them Victoria harbour, Albert
harbour, the west harbour, the east harbour, the northern tidal harbour,
the western tidal harbour, the great harbour and James Watt dock
(completed in 1886 at a cost of L650,000 with an area of 2000 ft. by 400
ft. with a depth at low water of 32 ft.), Garvel graving dock and other
dry docks. The quayage exceeds 100 acres in area and the quay walls are
over 3 m. in length. Both the Caledonian and the Glasgow & South-Western
railways (in Prince's Pier the latter company possesses a landing-stage
nearly 1400 ft. long) have access to the quays. From first to last the
outlay on the harbour has exceeded L1,500,000.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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