River Clyde Learn More in these related Britannica articles: More About River Clyde Article History Article Contributors Keep Exploring Britannica
Scotland’srivercottonClydesdalecultivatedHamiltoncoal miningindustryGlasgowshipbuildingWorld War IIDumbartonGreenockAilsa Craig
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River Clyde
River Clyde, Scotland’s most famous and important river (and firth, or estuary), about 106 miles (170 km) in length, discharging to the Atlantic on the western coast. The upper Clyde is a clear fishing stream rising in the moorlands of the Southern Uplands and flowing northward through a valley bordered by river terraces for about 30 miles (48 km) to the neighbourhood of Biggar, where it abruptly changes course. From Biggar the Clyde winds northwestward, falling less than 100 feet (30 m) in 15 miles (24 km) until at the Falls of Clyde it drops 250 feet (75 m) in 4 miles (6.4 km). Waterpower from these falls was important in the siting of local cotton mills in the early 19th century, and there are now some small hydroelectric stations.
Near Crossford, the widening Vale of Clyde, famous for the breeding of Clydesdale horses (see ), is intensively cultivated. From Hamilton northward, coal mining and heavy industry become dominant. Following the development of trade with the New World in the 18th century, the Clyde was dredged, deepened, and made navigable to the centre of Glasgow, which soon became a major industrial city and the world’s largest shipbuilding centre.
The famous Clydeside shipyards, which still border the river for 20 miles (32 km) below Glasgow, suffered severely from foreign competition after World War II. The river reaches its estuary, the Firth of Clyde, through hilly country near the coastal towns of Dumbarton and Greenock. From Dumbarton the firth extends about 65 miles (105 km) to the small island of Ailsa Craig. The attractive estuary region has long been popular with tourists. The chief Clydeside ports are Glasgow, Port Glasgow, and Greenock.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
harbours and sea works: Hydraulic models
…the large model of the Clyde estuary of Scotland works on a tidal cycle of about 14 minutes, or about 50 times the actual frequency. The effect of three years of tides following any modification of the profile of the harbour can thus be studied on the model in a…
Glasgow
…along both banks of the River Clyde 20 miles (32 km) from that river’s mouth on the western, or Atlantic, coast. Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, and it forms an independent council area that lies entirely within the historic county of Lanarkshire.…
United Kingdom
United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to…
River
River, (ultimately from Latin ripa, “bank”), any natural stream of water that flows in a channel with defined banks . Modern usage includes rivers that are multichanneled, intermittent, or ephemeral in flow and channels that are practically bankless. The concept of channeled surface flow, however,…
Clydesdale
Clydesdale, heavy draft-horse breed that originated in Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the River Clyde. The breed was improved about 1715 by mating a Flemish stallion with local mares; Shire blood was later introduced. Clydesdales were taken to North America about 1842 but never became a popular draft…
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Assorted References
hydraulic modeling- In harbours and sea works: Hydraulic models
- In harbours and sea works: Hydraulic models
physiography of Glasgow- In Glasgow
- In Glasgow
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