This track is part of my ongoing "Clutha Project" - music inspired by my childhood memories of the River Clyde and its surrounding countryside as well as the changes wrought over time to the communities set in this region. It is an elegy for the passing of the numerous wooden piers that once serviced the extensive and highly popular Clyde steamer routes and the various ferries that took hundreds of folk (and sometimes their cars) back and forth across the Clyde.

Boats and shipping of all sorts  have been the lifeblood of the River Clyde throughout the centuries.

The era of the Clyde steamer began in August 1812 with the very first successful commercial steamboat service in Europe, 
when Henry Bell's Comet began a passenger service on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock.

By 1900 there were over three hundred Clyde steamers operating, and the industry was still in full swing by the early 1960s. Then, competition from new forms of holiday travel brought the era almost to a close, but the Paddle Steamer "Waverley" still continues to provide excursions as the last of her kind on the Clyde.

Ferry crossing points on the Clyde, such as Erskine Ferry, were made redundant by the construction of modern bridges. 

The jobs that these services once provided also became redundant, and their employees faded into obscurity as did their ships and ferries.

Most of the wooden piers that serviced this once bustling trade now lie derelict and unloved. Their memories linger on in forgotten holiday-snap albums, specialist history books tucked away in local libraries, and in the hearts of the small bands of enthusiasts who work to save what is left.

In dusty corners of Britain's antiques emporiums, lie cheap pottery pieces bearing the names of these places - trinkets brought home years ago as souvenirs of a brief holiday away from the dull routines of town-dwelling and factory-working.

There's a video to go with this soundtrack at https://youtu.be/OkBOZSx91pc if you fancy a peek back in time.

Cover image - Sunset from Craigendoran by Colin MILNE (@argyll66)

This track was composed using only 8DIO Soundpaint instruments, which was part of the challenge I set myself in making this.

End of the Pier

End Of The Pier (Clutha Project)

This is my latest spill-over page for newer stuff. The older material is at @enlimila and @enlimila-plus

Thanks for looking. :-)

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End Of The Pier (Clutha Project)

enlimila++