The speaker at the recent Largs Probus Club meeting had a very interesting title of “Raider of the Lost Archives”.

Norry Wilson, a freelance journalist and copywriter from Glasgow, runs the popular Lost Glasgow Facebook, Twitter and website, which uses vintage photography to share the tales of the city and its people.

Norry advised that on a daily basis he goes hunting for vintage images of Glasgow that will trigger people’s memories, raise a smile, and hopefully entertain, educate and inform.

Norry spoke on the history of the trade on the Clyde and the role Henry Bell, owner of the Baths Hydropathic Hotel and swimming baths at Helensburgh, famed for introducing the first passenger carrying steamboat the Comet in 1812 to bring wealthy Glasgow merchants to the resort.

His success led to others recognising the value of trade on the Clyde and The Clyde Navigation Trust was formed in 1858.

The Trust continued the ongoing dredging and improvement work that was required to make the River Clyde accessible to ocean-going ships, as well as managing and developing the business of the Clyde. Glasgow soon became a major port and the ship-building industry massively expanded.

Due in part to the work of the Trust by the early 1900’s the shipyards of Glasgow had constructed one fifth of all the ships globally in use at the time.

Norry spoke on the trips Glasgow folk made “Doon the Watter” showing photographs of well-dressed lads and lassies, caught in all their holiday finery in the early 1900s boarding a steamer at the Broomielaw for the sail.

The boats were heaving with people, the Queen Mary II was licensed for around 2,000 passengers, compared with 800 for the Waverley. As soon as ship cast off, the captain would declare the bar open.

The annual arrival of the 'Glesga keelies' was boomtime for the local economies of Dunoon, Rothsay, Largs etc, with hotels, cafes, bars and shops all doing a roaring trade.

To avoid the Broomielaw, many made the trip by train, sending their wicker baskets containing bedding and towels in advance, and photos of Central Station in the 1930s showed everyone wearing headgear.

In the 1940s, photos showed the MacBraynes and Western Buses meeting passengers at the station and taking them to various locations up the west coast.

A 1968 photo of queues at Wemyss Bay station showed it to be one of the most beautiful with exceptional flower displays even to this day.

The twelve licensed Porters of Rothsay were portrayed in their finery along with the art deco Pavilion.

Gordon Law thanked Norry for the walk down memory lane realised through his talk and referred to his own family trips to Arran as a young man and his role of checking their wicker basket had arrived and that their food order was ready for collection at the Co-op.

Largs Probus Club will next meet in the Willowbank Hotel on Wednesday, August 14 at 10am when Tom Ward will speak on military history.