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{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country
| type
| official_name
| gaelic_name
| scots_name
| population
| population_ref
| area_total_km2
| area_footnotes
| os_grid_reference
| coordinates
| unitary_scotland
| lieutenancy_scotland
| constituency_westminster
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Greenock and Inverclyde (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Greenock and Inverclyde]]
| post_town
| postcode_district
| postcode_area
| dial_code
| london_distance_mi
| static_image = {{multiple image
|
| total_width = 280
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2/2
| image1 = View of Greenock from Auchmountain Road (Inverclyde, Scotland, DSCF9281).jpg
| alt1 = Derwent House
| image2 = Greenock2307gp.jpg
| alt2 = Laigh Kirk
| image3 = Greenock municipal buildings.jpg
| alt3 = Johnnie Walker Bond
| image4 = Free French memorial on Lyle Hill - geograph.org.uk - 5985136.jpg
| alt4 = Bank Street
| image5 = Lyle Road viewpoint - geograph.org.uk - 3095470.jpg
| alt5 = Robert Burns Statue
}}
| static_image_caption = ''From top; left–right'': View of Greenock from Auchmountain Road; view over Greenock and Cruise Terminal (right); [[Greenock Municipal Buildings]]; the [[Free France]] monument atop [[Lyle Hill]]; view from Lyle Hill
}}
'''Greenock''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Greenock.ogg|ˈ|ɡ|r|iː|n|ə|k}}; {{lang-sco|Greenock}}; {{lang-gd|Grianaig}}, {{IPA-gd|ˈkɾʲiənɛkʲ|pron}}) is a [[town]]
The [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 UK Census]] showed that Greenock had a population of 44,248, a decrease from the 46,861 recorded in the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 UK Census]]. It lies on the south bank of the Clyde at the "[[Tail of the Bank]]" where the [[River Clyde]] deepens into the [[Firth of Clyde]].
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== History ==
=== Name ===
Place-name scholar [[William J. Watson]] wrote that "Greenock is well known in Gaelic as {{lang|gd|Grianáig}}, dative of {{lang|gd|grianág}}, 'a sunny knoll{{'"}}.<ref>W. J. Watson, ''The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1926), p. 201.</ref> The [[Scottish Gaelic]] place-name
The name of the town has had various spellings over time. It was printed in early Acts of Parliament as ''Grinok'', ''Greenhok'', ''Grinock'', ''Greenhoke'', ''Greinnock'', and later as ''Greinok''. Old Presbyterial records used ''Grenok'', a common spelling until it was changed to Greenock around 1700. ''Grenock'' was also used in the 19th century, e.g. in ''[[Lloyd's List]]'' publications.<ref>Example: {{cite book |title=Lloyd's Register (The New Register-book of Shipping) |volume="Shipowners" |date=1804 |edition=6th |publisher=Society of Merchants, Ship-owners & Under-writers |at="Abbreviations: In the Eighth Column" (p. unnumbered, part of introduction) |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROSS1804 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive and Lloyd's Register Foundation, Heritage & Education Centre}}</ref>
The spelling ''Greenoak'' was found in two factory accounts dating back to 1717, and a legend developed of a green oak tree at the edge of the Clyde at William Street being used by fishermen to tie up their boats. No reliable source has been found referencing green oaks, however, and so this has been generally dismissed as imaginative Anglophone [[folk etymology]]. Nonetheless the image has frequently been used as an emblem or logo, carved on public buildings, used on banners and badges,<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|p=9}}</ref> and was once emblazoned on the local [[Co-op UK|Co-operative Society]] emblem. It reappeared in 1992 as the new shopping centre's name
=== Early history
[[File:Old West Kirk east 18.jpg|thumb|The [[Old West Kirk]] of 1591, much altered over the years, was moved in 1928 to a new location, again close to the [[Firth of Clyde]].]]
Hugh de Grenock was created a Scottish [[Baron]] in 1296, and the seat of the [[Scottish feudal barony|feudal barony]] of Greenock was apparently{{weasel inline|date=November 2022}} what became [[Easter Greenock Castle]]. Around 1400 his successor Malcolm Galbraith died with no sons, and his estate was divided between his two daughters to become two baronies: the eldest inherited Easter Greenock and married a Crawfurd, while Wester Greenock went to the younger daughter who married Schaw of Sauchie. Around 1540 the adjoining barony of [[Finnart]] was passed to the Schaw family, extending their holdings westward to the boundary of [[Gourock]], and in 1542 Sir John Schaw founded Wester Greenock castle.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|pp=4–5}}</ref><ref name="Sweet">{{cite web | last=Sweet | first=Andy | title=Greenock Castle (site of) - Castle in Greenock, Renfrewshire | website=Stravaiging around Scotland | url=http://www.stravaiging.com/history/castle/wester-greenock-schaw | access-date=19 February 2018}}</ref>
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=== Fishing villages, harbours and shipbuilding ===
[[File:Greenock Gazeteer of Scotland.jpg|thumb|Waterfront, [[Roadstead|roads]] outside the harbour, c. 1838]]
The coast of Greenock formed a broad bay with three smaller indentations: the Bay of Quick was known as a safe anchorage as far back as 1164. To its east, a sandy bay ran eastwards from the Old Kirk and the West Burn as far as Wester Greenock castle. The fishing village of Greenock developed along this bay, and around 1635 Sir John Schaw had a jetty built into the bay which became known as Sir John's Bay. In that year he obtained a Charter raising Greenock to a Burgh of Barony with rights to a weekly market. Further east, Saint Laurence Bay curved round past the Crawfurd Barony of Easter Greenock to Garvel (or Gravel) Point. When a pier (or dyke) was built making the bay an important harbour, the fishing village of Cartsdyke gained the alternative name of Craufurdsdyke. In 1642 it was made into the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the ill-fated [[Darien Scheme]] set out from this pier in 1697. Its town was named Cartsburn.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|pp=6, 9, 64}}<br />{{harvnb|Brown|1905|p=4}}</ref><ref name="Roy Greenock–PG">{{cite web | title=Roy Military Survey of Scotland, 1747–1752, Greenock, Craufurdsdyke, Newport Glasgow | website=National Library of Scotland, Map images | url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=13.0&lat=55.93858&lon=-4.71763&layers=3&b=1&o=100&marker=55.940501,-4.727982 | access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>
The fishing trade grew prosperous, with barrels of salted [[herring]] exported widely, and shipping trade developed. As seagoing ships could not go further up the [[River Clyde]], the [[Glasgow]] merchants including the [[Tobacco Lords]] wanted harbour access but were in disputes with Greenock over harbour dues and warehouses. They tried to buy the Garvel estate for a harbour when Easter Greenock lands were put up for sale to meet debts, but were outbid by Sir John Schaw who then got a Crown Charter of 1670 uniting Easter and Wester Greenock into the Burgh Barony of Greenock. A separate [[Barony of Cartsburn]] was created, the first baron being Thomas Craufurd. In 1668 the City of Glasgow got the lease of {{convert|13|acre|ha|0|abbr=off}} of land upriver close to [[Newark Castle, Port Glasgow|Newark Castle]], and construction promptly started on [[Port Glasgow|Newport Glasgow]] harbour which by 1710 had the principal Clyde [[custom house]].<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|pp=6, 55, 85}}<br />{{harvnb|Monteith|2003|p=3}}</ref><ref name="Roy Greenock–PG"/>
In 1696 and 1700 Schaw and residents of the town made unsuccessful bids to the Scottish Parliament for grants for a Greenock harbour, then when the [[Act of Union 1707]] opened up involvement in colonial trade, they raised their own funds. The work was completed in 1710, with [[wharf|quays]] extended out into Sir John's Bay to enclose the harbour. In 1711 the shipbuilding industry was founded when [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scotts]] leased ground between the harbour and the West Burn to build fishing boats. Greenock rapidly became a major port and shipbuilding centre, and though tobacco imported from the colonies was taken to Glasgow by pack horse, the more bulky imports of sugar were processed locally. From 1774 the dredging of the River Clyde increasingly allowed ships to take merchandise directly to Glasgow, but merchants continued to use Greenock harbour.
The [[American Revolutionary War]] temporarily interrupted trade, and the gun battery of Fort Beauclerc near the West Burn was extended to guard against the threat of [[privateer]]s, but the emphasis shifted to wider markets including imports of [[rum]] and sugar from the [[Caribbean]], wines from Spain, and fish from North America. A [[whaling]] business operated for about 40 years. Greenock "was mainly a trading port for goods such as sugar and cotton, but also dispatched ships to West Africa [[Atlantic slave trade|to take people to be enslaved]]" in Britain's American colonies.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Lisa|last=Williams|title=Remaking our histories: Scotland, Slavery and Empire|url=https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/remaking-our-histories-scotland-slavery-and-empire|website=[[National Galleries Scotland]]|date=9 October 2016|access-date=9 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|pp=6, 55, 85, 87, 94}}</ref> In 1868, in what became a ''[[cause celebre]]'',<ref>{{cite book|last=James|first=B.|title=Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence|year=2011|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-1-41655-274-1|page=51}}</ref> seven young Greenock males [[Greenock stowaways|stowed away on a cargo ship]] bound for [[Quebec]]. Treated with what was, even for the times, exceptional brutality, they were forcibly disembarked in [[Newfoundland]]; by the time they were returned to Scotland, three of them had died. The Captain and mate of the cargo ship were tried in a blaze of publicity at the Sheriff's Court and served short prison terms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McDermott |first1=S. |title=The Boys on the Ice |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/the_boys_on_the_ice |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=25 June 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/
=== Custom House and steamboats ===
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By 1791 a new pier was constructed at the East Quay. In 1812 Europe's first steamboat service was introduced by {{PS|Comet}} with frequent sailings between Glasgow, Greenock and [[Helensburgh]], and as trade built up the pier became known as Steamboat Quay.
The custom house needed larger premises and in May 1817 the foundation stone was laid at
The Custom House underwent extensive refurbishment which was completed in 1989 and, until closure of the building in 2010, housed a customs and [[excise]] museum which was open to the public. In June 2008 [[HM Revenue and Customs]] (HMRC) announced that the building would close in 2011 as part of a rationalisation project with any jobs being transferred to offices in [[Glasgow]], and despite a campaign to oppose these plans, the building closed in August 2010.
Riverside Inverclyde arranged further refurbishment works, and in 2013 announced that space had already been let to companies including
| title = Regeneration Projects Attracting Interest
| url = http://www.inverclydenow.com/today/10801-regeneration-projects-attracting-interest
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=== Industry and railways ===
[[File:
[[File:Greenock muni blgs2.jpg|thumb|right|View from above Cathcart Street over Cathcart Square to [[Greenock Municipal Buildings]], with the Victoria Tower to the right of "Cowan's Corner", and the ''Mid Kirk'' spire of 1781 to the left.]]
Greenock became a centre of industry, with water power being used to process imported goods. In 1827 [[Loch Thom]] was constructed as a reservoir with ''The Cut'' [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueduct]], bringing water to two lines of falls for water mills to power a paper mill, cotton and woollen mills, sugar refineries and shipbuilding
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[[Greenock Central railway station]] at Cathcart Street opened in 1841, for the first time providing a fast route from Glasgow to the coast linking up with [[Clyde steamer]] services. The provision of this new line meant there was no need to take the steamer all the way down river from Glasgow. In 1869 the [[Caledonian Railway]] was bypassed by the rival [[Greenock and Ayrshire Railway]] which opened a station on the waterfront at its [[Greenock Princes Pier railway station|Albert Harbour station]] (later renamed Princes Pier), served by a tunnel under Greenock's west end. To regain custom, the Caledonian Railway extended (what is now known as the [[Inverclyde Line]]) the [[Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway]] west to Gourock; this line was built to run inland through deep cuttings and tunnels, with a tunnel under the whole length of Newton Street crossing under the other railway tunnel to emerge near [[Fort Matilda railway station]]. Spoil from the cuttings and tunnels was used to build an embankment out from the shore to a long timber wharf at [[Gourock railway station]], providing space for railway sidings.{{sfn|Monteith|2004|pp=40, 47, 84, 70, 94.}} The railway bought Wester Greenock castle and its extension, the Mansion House, and demolished them before constructing the tunnel immediately west of Greenock Central station, running under the castle grounds which now form Well Park.<ref name="Sweet" />
Greenock's increasing importance and wealth was manifested in the construction of the [[Greenock Municipal Buildings]], whose Victoria Tower, completed in 1886, stands {{convert|245|ft|m|abbr=off}} tall.<ref name="ArtStrachan2008">{{cite book| author1 = Sphinx Fine Art| author2 = Edward Strachan| author3 = Roy Bolton| title = Russia & Europe in the Nineteenth Century| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vnf_0IVt1GgC&pg=PA30| year = 2008| publisher = Sphinx Fine Art| isbn = 978-1-907200-02-1| pages = 30–}}</ref> The [[War of 1812]] reawakened fears of American raids against Britain's ports. Earlier gun batteries had been dismantled and in 1813 ground was granted for a battery at Whitefarland Point. [[Fort Matilda]] was completed in 1818 and was sporadically modified over the century. The land to the west of this was common ground for inhabitants of the town, but in 1907 the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] compulsorily purchased part of this land for a torpedo factory. The remaining space was handed over to Greenock Corporation in 1914 as a public park.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|1921|pp=148, 168–169}}</ref>
The ''Clyde Torpedo Factory'' opened in 1910, with 700 workers transferred from the [[Royal Arsenal]], [[Woolwich]]. The site was tasked with designing and testing of [[torpedoes]], the testing taking place in [[Loch Long]]. During the [[Second World War]] the site switched entirely to manufacturing torpedoes. The original gun battery site was occupied by the ''Navy Buildings'', the main offices, just to the east of the torpedo factory buildings.
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}}</ref> the site became fully committed to R&D as the Torpedo Experimental Establishment (TEE). TEE was closed in 1959, when all torpedo research, development and design were concentrated at the newly formed Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment (AUWE), Portland.<ref>I worked there 1957–59</ref>
A church which became known as the [[Old West Kirk]] had been established in Greenock in 1591 under the patronage of John Schaw, the first built in Scotland since the [[Scottish Reformation|Reformation]]. It was extended over the years, at an early stage the Schaw aisle provided pews for the Laird of the Barony, built as a gallery to the east of the nave of the church. Opposite it, above the front entrance, is the Crawfurdsburn or Choir Gallery. At the south end of the nave, the Sailor's Loft gallery was built in 1698 and features a 19th-century model frigate, which replaced earlier models. At the north end, the Farmer's Gallery is above the main seating area. A tower was added in the mid 19th century.
In 1926, to make way for expansion of the [[Harland & Wolff]] shipyard (the present-day location of Container Way), the Old West Kirk was relocated to a new site on the Esplanade where it still stands. The shipbuilders provided the Pirrie Hall to the south of the site: this was opened in February 1925, just after the old church closed for work to commence, and was used during the works to accommodate services, enabling the congregation to see progress on the rebuilt kirk. It then came into use as the church hall.
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=== Second World War ===
{{main|Greenock Blitz}}
[[File:Free French Memorial Greenock.jpg|thumb|right|[[Free French Forces|Free French]] Memorial on [[Lyle Hill]] overlooking Gourock]]
Greenock suffered badly during the [[Second World War]] and its anchorage at the [[Tail of the Bank]] became the base for the [[Home Fleet]] as well as the main assembly point for [[Atlantic]] convoys. On 30 April 1940 the French [[Vauquelin class destroyer]] ''[[French destroyer Maillé Brézé (1931)|Maillé Brézé]]'' blew up off Greenock with heavy loss of life following an accident involving two of her own torpedoes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fs Maille Breze: Tail Of The Bank, Upper Firth Of Clyde {{!}} Canmore |url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/102453/fs-maille-breze-tail-of-the-bank-upper-firth-of-clyde |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=canmore.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> Although this disaster occurred before the [[Free French Forces#Cross of Lorraine|Free French]] Naval Forces were established, many people tend to regard the [[Cross of Lorraine]] on [[Lyle Hill]] as a memorial to the loss of the ''Maillé Brézé'' as well as to the later losses of the [[Free French Naval Forces]] which sailed from the town. On the nights of 6 May and 7 May 1941 around 300 [[Luftwaffe]] aircraft attacked the town in the [[Greenock Blitz]].
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A large building housing a drapery business constructed on Cowan's property at the corner of the Municipal Buildings was badly damaged and was demolished, leaving the blank brick corner area still known as "Cowan's Corner". This was later landscaped and used as a garden.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/opinion/14019379.shop-ownerrsquos-fight-to-defend-cowanrsquos-corner/ |title=Shop owner's fight to defend Cowan's Corner|date=24 March 2015|publisher=Greenock Telegraph| access-date=4 April 2021}}</ref>
===
[[File:Panoramic view of Greenock in 1983 (from Tower Block UK photo cl2-19b).jpg|thumb|right|Panoramic view of Greenock in 1983 with numerous tower blocks visible]]
Greenock thrived in the post-war years but as the heavy industries declined in the 1970s and 1980s unemployment became a major problem, and it has only been in the last ten years with reinvestment and the redevelopment of large sections of the town that the local economy has started to revive. Tourism has appeared as an unexpected bonus with the development of the Clydeport [[container port]] as Ocean Terminal, a [[passenger terminal (maritime)|passenger terminal]] for [[cruise ship]]s touring the Atlantic. Students who do not travel further afield for study often attend the Greenock campus of West College (formerly known as [[James Watt College]] of Further and Higher Education).
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== Governance ==
{{Main|Greenock and Inverclyde (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Greenock (UK Parliament constituency)}}
[[File:Greenock Municipal Buildings - geograph.org.uk - 5495559.jpg|thumb|right|Greenock Municipal Buildings]]
Until 1974, Greenock was a [[parliamentary burgh]] in its own right. It was merged with Port Glasgow to form [[Greenock and Port Glasgow (UK Parliament constituency)|Greenock and Port Glasgow]] constituency. In 1997, it became [[Greenock and Inverclyde (UK Parliament constituency)|Greenock and Inverclyde]]. After the redistribution of Scottish seats, it was merged into an enlarged ''[[Inverclyde (UK Parliament constituency)|Inverclyde]]'' constituency – the first time in political history that Greenock has not been named in a parliamentary seat. ''[[Greenock and Inverclyde (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Greenock and Inverclyde]]'' remains a [[Scottish Parliament]] constituency.
Greenock is the administrative centre of [[Inverclyde Council]], the local authority responsible for the wider [[Inverclyde]] area in which Greenock is located. The council is based in the [[Greenock Municipal Buildings]].
== Climate ==
{{climate chart
| Greenock
| 1| 6|74.6
| 1| 7|54.5
| 2| 8|53.8
| 3|11|37.9
| 6|15|34.4
| 9|17|35.1
|11|19|39.2
|11|18|52.2
| 8|16|45.3
| 6|12|80.5
| 3| 9|67.5
| 2| 7|68.6
|maxprecip = 80.5
|float = right
|clear = right
|units = <!-- Celsius -->
|source = <!-- Temp.: [[:File:Greenock Temp.GIF]] --> Precipitation:<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate & Weather Averages in Greenock, Scotland, United Kingdom |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@2647948/climate |website=Timeanddate.com |access-date=9 October 2019 |language=en}}. Data for period 1985–2015.</ref>
}}
Greenock's climate is [[temperate]] [[Maritime climate|maritime]] having mainly cool summers and mild winters. The coastal location means that the heat capacity of seawater helps keep winter temperatures higher than locations just a few miles inland.
Although there has been recent debate <ref name=ClimateMythology>{{Cite web|url=http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/|title=The Gulf Stream Myth|website=ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu}}</ref> the moderating influence of the [[North Atlantic Drift]], a warm oceanic current that is the eastern extension of the [[Gulf Stream]], means that Greenock's average temperature is approximately one degree Celsius greater than eastern Scottish coastal towns on the same latitude (55.94 degrees north); whilst in winter, Greenock is considerably warmer than continental locations at the same latitude, such as Moscow.
Anecdotally Greenock has a reputation for receiving higher than average rainfall (the song ''The Green Oak Tree'' comments on this). Whilst the rainfall is indeed higher than the average recorded at Scottish weather stations, the greatest rainfall in Scotland occurs on the west (ocean) facing mountain slopes of [[Lochaber]], near [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]] in the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/ns/
| title = Northern Scotland: climate
| publisher = Met Office
| access-date = 2010-05-07
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110813193523/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/ns/
| archive-date = 13 August 2011
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
Greenock's latitude means long hours of [[daylight]] in [[midsummer]] with the opposite true in [[winter solstice|midwinter]]. On the summer solstice, usually observed on the 21 June, the sun rises at 04:31 and sets at 22:07. On the winter solstice, usually 21 December, the sun rises at 08:46 and sets at 15:44.
{{clear}}
==Education==
{{main|Education in Scotland}}
[[File:Inverclyde Academy - geograph.org.uk - 1089387.jpg|thumb|right|[[Inverclyde Academy]] (2012)]]
[[File:Notre Dame High School - geograph.org.uk - 2591409.jpg|thumb|right|Notre Dame High School (2011)]]
The Highlanders academy was built in 1837, partly by subscription, and partly by grant from government, on a site given by the late Sir Michael Shaw Stewart.<ref name="auto"/>
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* Notre Dame High School, on Dunlop Street
* Inverclyde Academy, on Cumberland Road
* Clydeview Academy, on Burnside Road
Greenock has the following other educational establishments:
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== Health ==
{{main|NHS Scotland|NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde|Greenock Royal Infirmary|Inverclyde Royal Hospital}}
The [[Greenock Royal Infirmary|Greenock Infirmary]], later the Royal Infirmary, was established in 1809, when a building was erected at an expense of £1815, on a site of land given by Sir John Shaw Stewart.<ref name="auto"/> Today, the town is served by the [[Inverclyde Royal Hospital]] which is located in Greenock serving the population of [[Inverclyde]], [[Largs]], the [[Isle of Bute]] and the [[Cowal]] Peninsula.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.nhsggc.org.uk/content/default.asp?page=s762&loc_id=2528
| publisher = NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101127111027/http://nhsggc.org.uk/content/default.asp?page=s762&loc_id=2528
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> The hospital was commissioned to replace the [[Greenock Royal Infirmary]], the Eye Infirmary, Gateside Hospital, Duncan Macpherson Hospital and Broadstone Jubilee Hospital.<ref name=hh>{{cite web|url=https://historic-hospitals.com/gazetteer/inverclyde/|title=Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock|publisher=Historic Hospitals|accessdate=21 December 2018}}</ref> Construction work started at the end on August 1970<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ypJAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IKUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2329%2C33029 |title=Official start made to £7m. hospital |work=The Herald |date=1 September 1970 |page=3 |accessdate=6 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307084213/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ypJAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IKUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2329%2C33029 |archive-date=7 March 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and the hospital was completed in 1979.<ref name=hh/>
In 2004 Inverclyde Royal Hospital faced proposals for a major downsizing with the loss of the accident and emergency department and the acute surgical ward in an effort to save costs. Many people criticised the plans complaining that the Inverclyde Royal Hospital was being seen as nothing more than a large health centre.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wemyssbay.net/news/items/inverclyde.html| title=Inverclyde Royal Hospital| publisher=Wemyss Bay| accessdate=2009-08-30| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619095652/http://www.wemyssbay.net/news/items/inverclyde.html| archivedate=19 June 2009| df=dmy-all}}</ref> In February 2007, after undertaking a review, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde proposed retaining the accident and emergency department and core inpatient services, including the trauma and emergency medical departments at Inverclyde Royal Hospital and submitted this proposal to the Scottish Government for approval.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web| url=https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/get-in-touch-get-involved/inform-engage-and-consult/previous-consultations/south-clyde-acute-hospitals/| title=South Clyde Acute Hospital Consultation| publisher=NHSGGC| accessdate=31 December 2018}}</ref>
Langhill Clinic situated behind Inverclyde Royal Hospital is now the main psychiatric hospital with an IPCU unit and [[Day hospital]] alongside the main psychiatric ward.
== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of Scotland}}
===Economic history===
{{see|Economic history of Scotland}}
[[File:Greenock waterfront.jpg|thumb|right|Greenock waterfront from Victoria Harbour to Ocean Terminal, the skyline dominated by Victoria Tower.]]
[[File:Finnarrow at Inchgreen Drydock 02.jpg|thumb|right|The Inchgreen [[Dry dock|Drydock]] lacked major repair work for almost a decade, then in March 2013 it was used for urgent repairs to the ro-ro [[Stena Line]] ferry ''Finnarrow''.]]
Historically, the town relied on [[shipbuilding]], sugar refining and [[wool]] manufacturing for employment, but none of these industries are today part of Greenock's economy. More recently the town relied heavily on [[electronics]] manufacture. However, this has given way mostly to: [[call centre]] business, insurance, banking and shipping export.
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=== Shipbuilding ===
In the early 17th century, the first [[pier]] was built in Greenock. Shipbuilding was already an important employer by this time. The first proper [[harbour]] was constructed in 1710 and the first well-known shipbuilders, [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company]], was established the following year. It gained numerous contracts with the [[Royal Navy]] from 1806, building ships such as {{HMS|Glasgow|C21|2}}.
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Greenock Shipbuilders included: Scotts, Browns, William Lithgows, Fergusons, Head the Boat Builder (lifeboats). Other marine engineering related companies included engine-makers – Kincaids, Scotts, Rankin and Blackmore (which included the Eagle Foundry) – ship repair (Lamonts) and Hasties for steering gear. Yacht builders included Adams and McLean (at Cardwell Bay). Other yards included Cartsburn, Cartsdyke, and Klondyke – all of which closed during the 1970s and 1980s due to competition from [[South Korea]] and Japan.
Part of the site of the ''Scott's'' yard, is now an [[EE (telecommunications
Ship repair work continues at the Garvel Drydock in Greenock's Great Harbour.
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=== Shipping ===
[[File:
[[File:Cruise ship Queen Victoria at Greenock - geograph.org.uk - 5776898.jpg|thumb|right|[[MS Queen Victoria|MS ''Queen Victoria'']] moored at Greenock (2018)]]
Freight traffic is handled at the [[Portainer|container cranes]] of Greenock's ''Ocean Terminal'', at ''Prince's Pier'' which was constructed for the [[Glasgow and South Western Railway]]. The same terminal is a regular port of call for [[cruise liner]]s visiting the west of Scotland.
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=== Sugar ===
[[File:Sugar Warehouse.jpg|thumb|The Sugar Shed dominates the James Watt Dock]]
Sugar refining began in Greenock in 1765.<ref name=brit11>{{cite EB1911
| wstitle = Greenock
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| pages = 548–549
}}</ref> John Walker began a sugar refinery in Greenock in 1850 followed by the prominent local [[cooper (profession)|cooper]] and shipowner [[Abram Lyle]] who, with four partners, purchased the ''Glebe Sugar Refinery'' in 1865. Another 12 refineries were active at one point. The most successful of these was [[Tate & Lyle]]. It was formed from a merger in 1921 between Abram Lyle, who had expanded into [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]], and [[Henry Tate]], who had set up a sugar refinery in [[Liverpool]] and had expanded into [[London]].
The James Watt Dock, opened in 1886, provided shipping and shipbuilding facilities including a large warehouse (known as the Sugar Shed) which was used for both imported raw sugar, and refined sugar ready for delivery.<ref name="JWD hist">{{cite web | author=JWDAdministrator | title=JWD History | website=James Watt Dock Marina, Greenock, Scotland | url=http://www.jameswattdockmarina.co.uk/jwd-history.html | access-date=11 February 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212083252/http://www.jameswattdockmarina.co.uk/jwd-history.html | archive-date=12 February 2018 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="Canmore JWD">{{cite web | title=Greenock, James Watt Dock | website=Canmore | url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/68371/greenock-james-watt-dock | access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref>
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=== Electronics ===
[[File:IBM Greenock - geograph.org.uk - 6265903.jpg|thumb|right|The [[IBM]] facility in Greenock (2019)]]
Since [[IBM]] arrived in the town in 1951, electronics and light manufacturing have, until recently, been the mainstay of local employment. [[Texas Instruments]] (and before that [[National Semiconductor]]) ran a [[silicon]] wafer manufacturing plant in the town from 1970 until 2019, when the plant was transferred to [[Diodes Incorporated]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Manners|first=David|date=2019-02-04|title=Diodes buys Greenock fab|url=https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/diodes-buys-greenock-fab-2019-02/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Electronics Weekly|language=en}}</ref>
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| archive-date = 27 February 2012
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref> The Sanmina plant, which consisted of the former IBM AMDC (Automated Materials Distribution Centre) and Modules buildings 1 to 5, has since ceased operation and was demolished in 2009. The [[Spango Valley]] site was rebranded as "Valley Park" in late 2009. Lenovo has also re-located away from Greenock, and the plant is now at 10% of the 1999/2000 capacity. As of 2020 the site of IBM in Spango Valley had been completely demolished. <ref>{{cite web |title=End of era as IBM leaves Inverclyde after over 70 years |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/23428662.ibm-closes-last-greenock-offices-170-jobs-lost/ |website=www.thenational.scot |publisher=The National |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en |date=1 April 2023}}</ref>
=== Trade and commerce ===
[[File:Austin Gipsy fire appliance in the Oak Mall - geograph.org.uk - 5702096.jpg|thumb|right|Shopping outlets in the Oak Mall]]
Greenock's main shopping thoroughfare was Hamilton Street, which connected West Blackhall Street in the west to Clyde Square in the east. In 1975 it disappeared, along with several other central streets, as the area was [[pedestrianised]] as Hamilton Way. In 1992 it was covered and enclosed as an 85-unit centre by Covell Matthews for then-clients Ossory Road Estates as ''The Oak Mall'' (in administration as of 21 November 2013).<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.insolventcompanies.co.uk/oak-mall-greenock-limited-04384548/
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== Transport ==
{{main|Transport in Scotland|Greenock Central railway station}}
[[File:Trains at Greenock Central station - geograph.org.uk - 4752613.jpg|thumb|right|[[Greenock Central railway station|Greenock Central]]]]
Greenock is Scotland's best served town in terms of railway stations. It boasts eight: [[Bogston railway station|Bogston]], [[Cartsdyke railway station|Cartsdyke]], [[Greenock Central railway station|Greenock Central]], [[Greenock West railway station|Greenock West]], [[Fort Matilda railway station|Fort Matilda]], [[Whinhill railway station|Whinhill]], [[Drumfrochar railway station|Drumfrochar]] and [[Branchton railway station|Branchton]]. A ninth station, located at the [[IBM railway station|former IBM complex]], is currently mothballed pending redevelopment of the site. Only Glasgow has a much greater number of stations and Edinburgh possesses only two more. Greenock has a railway tunnel at {{convert|1.2|mi|km}} in length. Located directly under Newton Street in the town, the tunnel allowed for the extension of the railway to [[Gourock]].
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== Culture ==
[[File:Beacon Arts Centre & clock tower w.jpg|thumb|The Beacon Arts Centre, with first floor Gallery Suite and ground floor café & bar looking out over the Custom House Quay waterfront and the Clyde.]]
Greenock is home to the world's first [[Burns Supper|Burns Club]], The Mother Club, which was founded in 1801 by merchants born in [[Ayrshire]], some of whom had known Robert Burns. They held the first [[Burns Supper]] on what they thought was his birthday on 29 January 1802, but in 1803 discovered from the Ayr parish records that the correct date was 25 January 1759.<ref>{{cite web
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The [[Mclean Museum|Watt Institution]] (Mclean Museum) is the largest museum in the Inverclyde area, featuring exhibitions on [[James Watt]] and a collection of [[Ancient Egyptian]] artefacts.
The [[Beacon Arts Centre]] opened in 2013 in a new building at Greenock's Custom House Quay. It provides a 500-seat theatre that hosts a regular programme of plays, concerts, musical events, comedians and other events and a Studio Theatre, as well as a multifunction Gallery Suite providing rehearsal and meeting rooms which combine for event or performance space, with views over the Clyde. On the ground floor a café & bar also haas wide views. The Beacon is owned by the Greenock Arts Guild, and replaced the former ''Arts Guild Theatre''.<ref name="The Beacon Arts Centre 2013">{{cite web | title=Homepage | website=The Beacon Arts Centre | date=25 April 2013 | url=http://beaconartscentre.co.uk/ | access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref>
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=== In television ===
The 1974 [[BBC Scotland]] adaptation of the ''[[Para Handy]]'' novels, entitled ''[[The Vital Spark]]'', was filmed in Greenock. In 2012, Greenock became the setting for the [[BBC]] television drama ''[[Waterloo Road (TV series)|Waterloo Road]]'', after the series was relocated from [[Rochdale]], Greater Manchester. The series was shot at [[Greenock Academy]], a former secondary school in the west of the town.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15484570
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The novel ''The Greenock Murders'' by Kieran James (2021) is set in Greenock, especially the Cartsdyke area of town around Grosvenor Road, and the pubs of Gourock including the Kempock bar and Monteith's (now closed).<ref>James, K. (2021), ''The Greenock Murders'', published by Mybestseller.co.uk</ref>
=== Media ===
The town has a daily evening newspaper, ''The [[Greenock Telegraph]]'', dating from 1857.
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The town is also served by nation-wide radio stations, [[BBC Radio Scotland]], [[Clyde 1]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Glasgow & The West]], [[Heart Scotland]], and [[Capital Scotland]].
=== Notable people ===
[[File:James Watt Memorial College statue.jpg|thumb|upright|James Watt's statue of 1908 by [[Henry Charles Fehr]] at the original James Watt College building, which marks the site of his birthplace.]]
The most famous Greenockian is the engineer [[James Watt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discoverinverclyde.com/day-trips/discover-historic-inverclyde/|title=Discover Historic Inverclyde|publisher=Inverclyde Council|access-date=2022-11-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grianpress.com/Groome/PageG4.html/|title=Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland|publisher=Grian Press|last=Groome|first=Francis|access-date=2022-11-10}}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He is remembered in several placenames in the town, in the library instituted in his memory, and by the original Watt Memorial School (later College) building on the site of his birthplace in William Street, which incorporates a commemorative statue. The Finnart Campus of the [[West College Scotland|local college]] was until 2014 known as the James Watt College. [[Wetherspoons]] opened the James Watt pub after the building was converted from its previous use as the General Post Office.
The Lady Octavia park and sports centre are named after Lady Octavia Grosvenor, wife of the local MP [[Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet|Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart]], who died in 1921.
[[John Cummings (footballer)|John Cummings]], born in Greenock in 1944, was a Scottish footballer, who played for six teams over ten years in both the United Kingdom and United States.
[[John McGeoch]], one of the most influential [[rock (music)|rock]] guitarists of the last decades,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-genius-of-john-mcgeoch-john-frusciante-johnny-marr-tributes|title=The genius of John McGeoch|publisher=Guitarworld|first=Matt |last=Parker |date=April 27, 2022|access-date=2022-07-12}}</ref> was born in Greenock in 1955; he spent his childhood with his family in the city before moving in his teens.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sullivan-Burke|first=Rory|title=The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|date=April 2022|isbn= 978-1913172664}}</ref> ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' magazine listed McGeoch as one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html#guitar | title = Mojo – 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time June 1996 Issue | date = 1996 | website = [[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] | access-date = 29 February 2016 | quote = 89. John McGeogh – "[[Spellbound (Siouxsie and the Banshees song)|Spellbound]]" by [[Siouxsie & the Banshees]] on ''[[Juju (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)|Juju]]'') – 1981 – Yamaha SG1000 }}</ref>
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=== People with other connections ===
[[File:140224 Old Greenock Cemetery - 16.jpg|thumb|right|Cemetery entrance from Inverkip Street, with plaque commemorating [[John Galt (novelist)|John Galt]].]]
Pirate [[William Kidd]] claimed on [[death row]] that he was born in Greenock, but subsequent evidence has shown that he was born either in [[Belfast]] or [[Dundee]].<ref>{{cite web
| title = KIDD-L Archives – Subject: [KIDD-L] Captain William Kidd: recent biography
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}}</ref>
The novelist [[John Galt (novelist)|John Galt]], who founded [[Guelph]], [[Ontario]] in 1827, lived in the town and based some of his work, most notably ''[[Annals of the Parish]]'' (1821), on Greenock and surrounding towns. He is buried in the Inverkip Street Cemetery. The mother of American comedian and writer [[Jay Leno]], Catherine Muir, was born in Greenock and emigrated to the US as a child. The American actress [[Julianne Moore]] is the daughter of the late Anne Love, a former psychiatric [[social worker]] who emigrated from Greenock. [[William Hewitt (moderator)|The Rev William C. Hewitt]] (minister at Westburn Parish Church in Greenock), [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] in 2009–2010, is the first serving minister at a church in Greenock to be appointed. Reverend [[Elizabeth Kinniburgh]], born in Greencock in 1929, was one of the first women to become ordained as a minister for the [[Church of Scotland]] in 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obituary - Betty Kinniburgh, minister at the forefront of sweeping changes in the Church of Scotland |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/14845583.obituary---betty-kinniburgh-minister-forefront-sweeping-changes-church-scotland/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=HeraldScotland |date=5 November 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
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== Sports ==
[[File:Cappielow.JPG|thumb|right|[[Cappielow Park]], home of Morton F.C.]]
[[Greenock Morton
| url = http://www.gmfc.net
| title = GMFC.net
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}}</ref>
Leisure facilities in Greenock are primarily provided by Inverclyde Leisure. There are several sports facilities in the town and surrounding area managed by Inverclyde Leisure:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
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| access-date = 2010-05-07
}}</ref>
== Notes ==
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[[Category:Firth of Clyde]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Scotland]]
[[Category:Parishes in Renfrewshire]]
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