View source for Govan

{{Short description|Area of Glasgow, Scotland}}
{{about|the district in Glasgow}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = Scotland
| official_name = Govan
| gaelic_name = Baile a' Ghobhainn
| scots_name = Gouan
| area_total_km2 = 1.63
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://statistics.gov.scot/data/land-area-2011-data-zone-based|title=statistics.gov.scot – Land Area (based on 2011 Data Zones)|website=statistics.gov.scot}}</ref>
| population = 5860
| population_ref = (2015)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates-current-geographic-boundaries|title=statistics.gov.scot – Population Estimates (Current Geographic Boundaries)|website=statistics.gov.scot|access-date=24 April 2017|archive-date=25 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425030444/http://statistics.gov.scot/data/population-estimates-current-geographic-boundaries|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 
| pushpin_map = Scotland Glasgow
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the [[Glasgow City council area]]
| os_grid_reference = NS555655
| coordinates = {{coord|55.8615|-4.3083|display=inline,title}}
| unitary_scotland = [[Glasgow City (council area)|Glasgow City]]
| lieutenancy_scotland = Glasgow
| constituency_westminster = [[Glasgow South West (UK Parliament constituency)|Glasgow South West]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Glasgow Pollok (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Pollok]]<br/>[[Glasgow Southside (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Southside]]
| post_town = GLASGOW
| postcode_district = G51
| postcode_area = G
| dial_code = 0141
| edinburgh_distance = {{Convert|45|mi|km|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|E]]
| london_distance = {{Convert|346|mi|km|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|SSE]]
| static_image_name = Govan Town Hall - 2021 April 9.jpg
| static_image_caption = [[Govan Town Hall]]
}}

'''Govan''' ({{IPAc-en|'|g|V|v|@|n}} {{respell|GUV|ən}}; [[Cumbric]]: ''Gwovan'';<ref>{{Cite book|last=Clarkson|first=Tim|title=Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age|publisher=John Donald|year=2014|isbn=978-1-906566-78-4|location=Edinburgh|pages=53-4, 54n.51|language=English}}</ref> [[Scots language|Scots]]: ''Gouan''; [[Scottish Gaelic]]: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former [[burgh]] now part of southwest [[Glasgow]], Scotland. It is situated {{convert|2+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} west of [[Glasgow city centre]], on the south bank of the [[River Clyde]], opposite the mouth of the [[River Kelvin]] and the district of [[Partick]]. Historically it was part of the [[Lanarkshire|County of Lanark]].

In the early medieval period, the site of the present [[Govan Old Parish Church|Govan Old]] churchyard was established as a Christian centre for the [[Brittonic Peoples|Brittonic]] Kingdom of [[Alt Clut]] (Dumbarton Rock) and its successor realm, the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]]. This latter kingdom, established in the aftermath of the Viking siege and capture of Alt Clut by Vikings from Dublin in 870, created the stone sculptures known today as the [[The Govan Stones|Govan Stones]].

Govan was the site of a ford and later a ferry which linked the area with [[Partick]] for seasonal cattle drovers. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, [[textile]] mills and [[coal mining]] were important; in the early-nineteenth century, [[shipbuilding]] emerged as Govan's principal industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/landscapes/govan/|title=Scotland's Landscape: Govan|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=4 November 2018}}</ref> In 1864, Govan gained [[Burgh|burgh status]], and was the fifth-largest burgh in Scotland. It was incorporated into the City of Glasgow in 1912.<ref name="govanandpartick">{{cite news|title=How Glasgow annexed Govan and Partick 100 years ago|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19168940|access-date=8 August 2012|author=Reevel Alderson|work=BBC News|date=7 August 2012}}</ref>

==History==

===Early history===
Recent studies of the [[archaeology]] of [[Govan Old Parish Church|Govan Old]] have revealed the presence of an ancient [[Christianity|Christian]] church. Two associated Christian burials are [[radiocarbon date]]d to the 5th or 6th centuries, making Govan the earliest known Christian site in the region.<ref>Driscoll, Stephen, "Govan, an early medieval royal centre", p. 79.</ref> Govan is believed to have then been part of a kingdom ruled from [[Dumbarton Rock]], known as ''Alt Clut'', the rock on the Clyde. During the [[Viking Age]], following the sack of Dumbarton Rock in 870, Govan is believed to have been one of the major centres of the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]]. In 1855, an elaborately carved [[sandstone]] [[sarcophagus]] was found during digging in the churchyard.<ref>[http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSB00002 Govan Sarcophagus], The Glasgow Story</ref> It is now kept inside the church, as part of the [[The Govan Stones|Govan Stones]] museum collection. It may have been used to contain the body or relics of St. [[Causantín mac Cináeda|Constantine]], a Pictish king seemingly killed by Vikings in 877 &ndash; the style of carving indicates an origin in the late 9th or early 10th century.

Govan's earliest recorded name may be found in the ''[[Historia regum Anglorum]]'' attributed to [[Symeon of Durham]]. This is a 12th-century [[Latin]] source, but one believed to be based on much earlier materials; it records a place near Dumbarton Rock named ''Ouania''. Based on this, Govan's [[Cumbric language]] name has been reconstructed as *''(G)uovan''.<ref>Koch, John, "Ovania", p. 34.</ref> Govan is ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'' (the smith's town) in [[Scottish Gaelic]]. Bishop Leslie in his ''Scotia Descriptio'' of 1578 says it got its name from the excellence of its ale ''(God-win)'', whereas Chalmers in his ''Caledonia'' says it is derived from [[Scottish Gaelic]], ''Gamhan'' (a ditch).<ref name="Gazetteer">"A History Of Glasgow & Govan (1883)", ''Ordnance Gazetteer Of Scotland''</ref>

The earliest references to Govan are found in connection with the Christian church. In 1136, when [[Glasgow Cathedral]] was formally consecrated, [[David I of Scotland|King David I]] (1124–53) gave to the See the lands of Partick and also of the church at Govan (on opposite sides of the [[River Clyde]]), which became a [[prebendary|prebend]] of Glasgow. [[Govan Old Parish Church]] was rebuilt in 1762, 1826, and again 1884&ndash;1888. Within it and its roughly circular churchyard is one of the finest collections of Early Christian stones in Britain, known as the Govan Stones, dating from the c.9th to 11th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.getintogovan.com/attractions/habitasse-pellentesque-phasellus-nam-aptent/|title=The Govan Stones {{!}} Get Into Govan|website=www.getintogovan.com|language=en|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref>

Not much is known about any medieval village that may have surrounded the church until 1454 when it is recorded that whole houses, barns and mills in the village were brought down by a great flood.In 1756 the Govan Weavers Society was formed to assist members and their families and this organisation continues as a charity in Govan holding annual events and supporting local causes. See www.govanweavers.com .<ref name="NSA" />

By the 16th century, extensive coal mine workings had been developed around [[Craigton, Glasgow|Craigton]] and [[Drumoyne]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Craigton House|url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSB00258|access-date=13 April 2019|work=The Glasgow Story}}</ref>

[[File:Blaeu.Atlas.of.Scotland.1654.Renfrew.Govan.jpg|center|thumb|600 px|A part of Blaeu's 1654 map of Scotland. Modern Govan is at the site labeled ''Mekle Gouan'' ("Big Govan"). The small town of [[Glasgow]] is on the north bank of the Clyde, across from ''Litle Gouan'' ("Little Govan") In 1756 the Govan Weavers Society was formed to provide benevolent assistance to distressed members and their families and widows and the Society continues as a charity to this day holding several events in Govan annually.]]
There is an oddity whereby part of eighteenth-century parish of Govan (which was in [[Lanarkshire]]) is counted as being within [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]]. There existed a hospital in the area, and as quasi-religious foundations were not taxed, it had never been assigned to a sheriffdom. Thus, when Renfrewshire was created out of a sheriffdom of Lanarkshire in the early fifteenth century, the lands associated with the hospital ([[Polmadie]]) were not technically in the newly created shire, as they were not part of the sheriffdom. They were, however, very much a part of the physical landscape that became Renfrewshire. A similar uncertainty existed regarding the nearby lands of [[Pollokshields]] and Westends. People lived with the inconsistency in the records. When the railway was to be built in the late nineteenth century, however, the confusion over proper descriptions in the land titles made necessary legal transactions difficult and had to be reconciled. The county added to the description of these lands, the phrase: "but now by annexation in the County of Renfrew."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Alexander|year=1890|contribution=Notes on the Lands of Polmadie and Crosshill|title=Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society|volume=I|publisher=James Maclehose & Sons|location=Glasgow|publication-date=1890|pages=530–532}} (available at {{mono|books.google.com}})</ref>
[[File:Govan Glasgow 1904.jpg|thumb|[[Sir William Pearce, 1st Baronet|Pearce]] Statue and Lyceum Theatre, 1904.]]
By the early part of the 19th century, Govan was rapidly losing its rural appearance and assuming the character of a town with the development of new industries and factories, including Reid's Dye Works and Pollok's Silk Mill.  Town officials arranged for the deepening of the Clyde in 1759, the reclamation of the channels between the islands (The [[Whyte Inch]], The Black Inch, and The King's Inch), and the construction of quays and docks. This facilitated the development of shipbuilding as a major industry. By the 1860s, the village needed a higher order of administration and it was made a [[burgh]] in 1864, under the [[General Police (Scotland) Act 1862]]. At the time, it was the fifth largest burgh in Scotland and contained within its boundaries the areas of [[Plantation, Glasgow|Plantation]], [[Cessnock, Glasgow|Cessnock]], [[Ibrox, Glasgow|Ibrox]], [[Craigton, Glasgow|Craigton]], and [[Drumoyne]].<ref name="2nd Edition OS">{{cite web|title=2nd Edition Ordnance Survey|date=1893–1894|url=http://www.old-maps.co.uk|access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref> in 1901 the Burgh boundaries increased further west to include [[Linthouse]] and West [[Drumoyne]].<ref name="3rd Edition OS">{{cite web|title=3rd Edition Ordnance Survey|year=1913|url=http://www.old-maps.co.uk|access-date=16 April 2012}}</ref>

With [[Morris Pollok]] as its first [[Provost (civil)|Provost]], the Burgh and its Commissioners ensured that during the next 48 years Govan became a well-equipped, modern town. During the late 19th century, the population of Govan increased more than tenfold: from 9,000 in 1864 to 95,000 by 1907. In 1901 Govan was the 7th largest town in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Scotland |display=Scotland § ''Population'' |volume=24 |page=418}}</ref> In 1912, Glasgow annexed Govan after a series of annexation battles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acumfaegovan.com/burgh/annexation.php|title=Annexation Battles|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-date=18 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218024624/http://www.acumfaegovan.com/burgh/annexation.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-19168940|title=How Glasgow annexed Govan and Partick 100 years ago|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|date=7 August 2012|access-date=13 August 2012|first=Reevel|last=Alderson}}</ref>

A prominent feature of the Govan landscape was the Doomster or Moot Hill, which stood near the river, north of the present Govan Cross.<ref>[https://www.glasgowhistory.com/glasgows-crosses.html Glasgow’s Crosses], Glasgow History, 28 May 2016</ref> It was removed in the early 19th century and Reid's Dyeworks was erected on the site. The origins of the Doomster Hill are a mystery. One hypothesis is that it was a prehistoric [[burial mound]]. In 1996, a team from [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[Time Team]]'' programme carried out an archeological excavation at the site. They suggested that the hill may have been a 12th-century [[Norman architecture|Norman]] [[motte-and-bailey|motte]].<ref>''Time Team'' Series 4, episode 4. First broadcast 26 January 1997.</ref>

===20th century to the present===
[[File:Govan War Memorial.jpg|thumb|Govan War Memorial]]
Traditionally viewed as a lower working-class area, Govan has typically supported the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], but the [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) has also been strong there. In 1973, the SNP won a by-election with [[Margo MacDonald]] as their candidate. The SNP won another by-election victory in 1988, this time with [[Jim Sillars]] as candidate. The latest victory for the SNP was in the 2007 Scottish parliamentary elections, when [[Nicola Sturgeon]] became the MSP for the constituency.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC NEWS {{!}} Election 2007 {{!}} Scottish Parliament {{!}} Election Result: Glasgow Govan|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/vote2007/scottish_parliment/html/268.stm|access-date=2 October 2022|website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

The area has had a reputation for deprivation and poverty, partly due to the construction of housing estates in the 1930s to relieve the overcrowded slum district of The [[Gorbals]]. The most famous of these housing estates is [[Moorepark, Glasgow|Moorepark]], sometimes referred to jocularly as "The Wine Alley"<ref>[https://www.lrb.co.uk/v11/n20/ian-jack/problem-families Ian Jack: Problem Families (review of From Moorepark to Wine Alley: The Rise and Fall of a Glasgow Housing Scheme by Sean Damer)], London Review of Books, 26 October 1989</ref> &ndash; this area was named by ''[[The Independent]]'' newspaper in April 1994 as one of the worst areas in Britain, with drug abuse being a widespread problem and unemployment standing at nearly 30% (up to three times the national average at the time).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/no-go-britain-where-what-why-1370749.html|title=No-Go Britain: Where, what, why|date=17 April 1994|work=The Independent}}</ref>

It was parodied by the [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[Rab C. Nesbitt]]''. Although Govan was the stated setting for the show, episodes were seldom filmed there.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/real-inspiration-behind-rab-c-11744810|title=The real inspiration behind Rab C Nesbitt has finally been revealed|last=Hendry|first=Steve|date=24 December 2017|newspaper=Daily Record|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>

Despite these developments, there were numerous older buildings around Govan until quite recently, most notably the [[terraced house|terraces]] and tenements situated around Govan Road. These were not cleared until well into the 1970s. However, there is the potential for tourism development, for example, the planned development of the Govan Old site, which hosts the historically significant stone carvings, has led to the development of the surrounding townscape and new infrastructure. Such developments benefit the aesthetic and connective appeal of the Govan area for future visitors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Butler|first1=Richard|last2=Curran|first2=Ross|last3=O'Gorman|first3=Kevin D.|date=1 September 2013|title=Pro-Poor Tourism in a First World Urban Setting: Case Study of Glasgow Govan|journal=International Journal of Tourism Research|language=en|volume=15|issue=5|pages=443–457|doi=10.1002/jtr.1888|issn=1522-1970}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Govan.jpg|left|thumb|Govan street scene]]
Govan was at one point the centre of the world-renowned Clydeside shipbuilding industry. In 1841, [[Robert Napier and Sons|Robert Napier]] began iron shipbuilding in Govan, and in 1843 produced its first ship, ''Vanguard''. He also procured a contract with the [[Royal Navy]] to produce vessels, notably ''[[HMS Jackal (1844)|Jackal]]'', ''[[HMS Lizard (1844)|Lizard]]'', and ''[[HMS Bloodhound (1845)|Bloodhound]]''. He also allowed naval officers in training to visit the shipyard to familiarise themselves with the new vessels. Napier's Shipyard in Govan was later acquired by [[William Beardmore and Company]] in 1876 and incorporated into William Beardmore and Company in around 1900.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glasgowwestaddress.co.uk/1909_Glasgow_Men/Beardmore_William.htm|title=William Beardmore|publisher=Glasgow West Addresses and Their Occupants|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>

Govan's other major shipbuilding firm, Randolph, Elder and Company who had taken a lease of Robert Napier's Old Yard at Water Row in 1860, launched their first ship at the yard in 1861, however in 1863 the company acquired land at nearby Fairfield estate to lay out a new larger shipyard. After [[John_Elder_(shipbuilder)|John Elder's]] death in 1869 the company was renamed John Elder and Company. In 1885, under William Pearce, the company was reorganised as the [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd.]] This company continued until 1965, when it filed for bankruptcy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Ian|title=Fairfield: A Shipyard Success Story 1834 - 2024|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|year=2024|isbn=978-1399089661}}</ref> The following year in 1966, the yard was again reorganised as Fairfields and guaranteed by the government in response. The following year, Fairfields and the other major Clydeside yards (Stephens, Connels, Yarrows and John Browns) were merged to form [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]] (UCS).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gcu.ac.uk/radicalglasgow/chapters/ucs_workin.html|title=Glasgow Caledonian University Archives|website=Gcu.ac.uk|access-date=16 September 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120151941/http://www.gcu.ac.uk/radicalglasgow/chapters/ucs_workin.html|archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref>

In 1971, Upper Clyde Shipbuilders went into receivership and the Conservative government led by [[Edward Heath]] refused to give them a £6,000,000 loan. Rather than go on strike, which was the traditional form of industrial action, the union leadership of the yards decided to have a [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work-in|work-in]] and complete the orders that the shipyards had in place. In this way they dispelled the idea of the workers being "work-shy" and also wanted to illustrate the long-term viability of the yards. Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company was renamed [[Govan Shipbuilders]] in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://production.investis.com/heritage/nonflash/lineage/sea/1973_govan_shipbuilders/|publisher=BAE Systems|title=Heritage 1973 Govan Shipbuilders|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526183828/http://production.investis.com/heritage/nonflash/lineage/sea/1973_Govan_Shipbuilders/|archive-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> 

In 1977, the Labour government of [[James Callaghan]] passed the [[Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977]] (c. 3) which nationalised Govan and grouped it with other major British shipyards as [[British Shipbuilders]]. In May 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] and her ministry soon began its privatisation programme. British Aerospace, established by the same act, was privatised in 1981. British Shipbuilders road to privatisation was not as swift, and the group was sold piece by piece throughout the course of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/187010/12-973-proposed-abolition-british-shipbuilders-corporation-response.pdf|title=Proposed Abolition of British Shipbuilders|publisher=Department for Business Innovationand Skills|date=1 July 2012|page=7|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>

[[Kværner]] of Norway, as part of a planned development of a large international shipbuilding group, took over Govan.<ref>Birkler, J.L. ''et al.'' (2002). [https://books.google.com/books?id=nmr2vtEzsFIC&q=Govan&pg=PA13  ''The Royal Navy's New-generation Type 45 Destroyer: Acquisition Options and Implications,'' p. 13.]</ref>  British Shipbuilders' sale of Govan to the Norwegian firm was completed in 1988, and the yard was renamed [[Kvaerner Govan]].<ref name="b14">Birkler, [https://books.google.com/books?id=nmr2vtEzsFIC&q=Govan&pg=PA14 p. 14.]</ref>

In 1999, [[The General Electric Company|GEC]]'s Marconi Marine division purchased the yard when Kværner announced its departure from the shipbuilding industry.<ref name="b14" /> GEC's Marconi Marine division already owned YSL (purchased in 1985) and [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd|VSEL]] (purchased in 1995). [[Marconi Electronic Systems]] and its Marconi Marine unit were sold to [[British Aerospace]] in 1999 to form [[BAE Systems]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00828|title=An aerial view from the south of the Fairfield Shipyard, taken around 1932|publisher=The Glasgow Story|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00826|title=An aerial view of the River Clyde looking down-river from the Yarrow's Shipyard, c 1932.|publisher=The Glasgow Story|access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> The shipbuilding operations became [[BAE Systems Marine]], which subsequently became part of [[BVT Surface Fleet]], a naval shipbuilding joint venture between [[BAE Systems]] and [[VT Group]], which became [[BAE Systems Surface Ships]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jonathan|last=Buck|title=VT Group Seals Deal To Sell BVT Stake To BAE Systems|url=https://www.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090924-703897.html|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|access-date=25 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004091749/http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090924-703897.html|archive-date=4 October 2009}}</ref>

[[Alexander Stephen and Sons]] also established a shipyard in nearby [[Linthouse]] in 1870. The yard eventually closed in the wake of the collapse of the [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]] consortium in 1971.<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jun/14/upper-clyde-shipbuilders Parliamentary debates] Hansard, 4 June 1971</ref> 

===Ships built at Govan===
{{dynamic list}}
{{Columns-start|num=3}}
*[[PS Vanguard (1843)]]<ref name="Clydebuilt Database - Shipping Times"/>
*[[PS Scotia (1861)]]
*[[HMS Northampton (1876)|HMS ''Northampton'' (1876)]]
*[[HMS Nelson (1876)|HMS ''Nelson'' (1876)]]
*[[HMS Curacoa (1878)|HMS ''Curacoa'' (1878)]]
*[[SS Arizona (1879)|SS ''Arizona'' (1879)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly">Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard" in [http://www.shipsmonthly.com/ships/home.htm  ''Ships Monthly.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611163521/http://www.shipsmonthly.com/ships/home.htm |date=11 June 2008 }} June 1985.</ref>
*[[IBIS (1886)|''Ibis'' (1886)]]<ref name="Clydebuilt Database - Shipping Times">Clydebuilt Database – Shipping Times, Stuart Cameron</ref>
*[[Akasha (1886)|''Akasha'' (1886)]]<ref name="Clydebuilt Database - Shipping Times"/>
*[[Livadia (yacht, 1880)|''Livadia'' (1880)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*''Victoria'' (1886)<!-- {{Disambiguation needed|date=June 2011}} Not [[HMS Victoria (1887)]], built by [[Armstrong Whitworth]] --><ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[RMS Campania|RMS ''Campania'' (1891)]]
*[[RMS Lucania|RMS ''Lucania'' (1893)]]
*[[HMS Venus (1895)|HMS ''Venus'' (1895)]]
*[[HMS Diana (1895)|HMS ''Diana'' (1895)]]
*[[HMS Highflyer (1898)|HMS ''Highflyer'' (1898)]]
*[[HMS Hermes (1898)|HMS ''Hermes'' (1898)]]
*[[HMS Cressy (1899)|HMS ''Cressy'' (1899)]]
*[[HMS Aboukir (1900)|HMS ''Aboukir'' (1900)]]
*[[HMS Good Hope (1901)|HMS ''Good Hope'' (1901)]]
*[[HMS Bedford (1901)|HMS ''Bedford'' (1901)]]
*[[SS Armadale Castle|SS ''Armadale Castle'' (1903)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*RMS ''Port Kingston'' (1904) renamed [[RMS Tahiti|RMS ''Tahiti'']]
*[[HMS Cochrane (1905)|HMS ''Cochrane'' (1905)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[HMS Commonwealth (1903)|HMS ''Commonwealth'' (1905)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[RMS Empress of Britain (1906)|RMS ''Empress of Britain'' (1906)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[Empress of Ireland|RMS ''Empress of Ireland'' (1906)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
* {{SS|Volturno|1906}}
*[[HMS Indomitable (1907)|HMS ''Indomitable'' (1907)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[SS Balmoral Castle (1909)|SS ''Balmoral Castle'' (1910)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[HMS New Zealand (1911)|HMS ''New Zealand'' (1911)]]
*[[HMAS Sydney (1912)|HMAS ''Sydney'' (1912)]]
*[[RMS Empress of Russia (1913)|RMS ''Empress of Russia'' (1913)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
{{Column}}
*[[RMS Empress of Asia (1913)|RMS ''Empress of Asia'' (1913)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[SS Calgarian|SS ''Calgarian'' (1913)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[HMS Valiant (1914)|HMS ''Valiant'' (1914)]]
*[[HMS Renown (1916)|HMS ''Renown'' (1916)]]
*[[RMS Empress of Canada (1922)|RMS ''Empress of Canada'' (1922)]]<ref name="Ships Monthly" />
*[[SS Athenia (1922)|SS ''Athenia'' (1922)]]
*[[Aorangi (ship)|''Aorangi'' (1922)]]
*[[SS Tuscania (1921)|TSS ''Tuscania'' (1923)]]
*[[SS Letitia|SS ''Letitia'' (1924)]]
*[[MV Speybank|MV ''Speybank'' (1926)]]
*[[HMS Berwick (65)|HMS ''Berwick'' (1926)]]
*[[HMS Norfolk (78)|HMS ''Norfolk'' (1928)]]
*[[RMS Empress of Japan (1930)|RMS ''Empress of Japan'' (1930)]]
*[[HMS Delight (H38)|HMS ''Delight'' (1932)]]
*[[HMS Woolwich (F80)|HMS ''Woolwich'' (1934)]]
*[[HMS Liverpool (C11)|HMS ''Liverpool'' (1937)]]
*[[HMS Phoebe (43)|HMS ''Phoebe'' (1937)]]
*[[HMS Howe (32)|HMS ''Howe'' (1940)]]
*[[HMS Bellona (63)|HMS ''Bellona'' (1942)]]
*[[HMS Implacable (R86)|HMS ''Implacable'' (1942)]]
*[[HMS Theseus (R64)|HMS ''Theseus'' (1944)]]
*[[HMS Chichester (F59)|HMS ''Chichester'']]
*[[HMS Blake (C99)|HMS ''Blake'' (1945)]]
*[[SS Karanja|SS ''Karanja'' (1948)]]
{{Column}}
*[[TS Oxfordshire|TS ''Oxfordshire'' (1955)]]
*[[Empress of Britain (1956)|TS/SS ''Empress of Britain'' (1956)]]<ref name="Clydebuilt Database - Shipping Times"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=1049|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050426213009/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=1049|url-status=usurped|archive-date=26 April 2005|title=Shipping Times|access-date=17 March 2008}}</ref>
*[[TS Leecliffe Hall|TS ''Leecliffe Hall'' (1961)]]
*[[HMS Fife (D20)|HMS ''Fife'' (1964)]]
*[[HMS Antrim (D18)|HMS ''Antrim'' (1967)]]
*[[USNS Harkness (T-AGS-32)|USNS ''Harkness'' (1968)]]
*[[MV Jervis Bay|''Jervis Bay'' (1969)]]
*''Pacifique'' (1969)
*[[USNS Chauvenet (T-AGS-29)|USNS ''Chauvenet'' (1970)]]
*[[Pacific Peace|''Pacific Peace'' (1981)]]
*[[MV Selkirk Settler|MV ''Selkirk Settler'' (1983)]]
*[[MV Saskatchewan Pioneer|MV ''Saskatchewan Pioneer'' (1983)]]
*[[St. Lawrence Seaway (1983)|''St. Lawrence Seaway'' (1983)]]
*[[Sir Charles Parsons|''Sir Charles Parsons'' (1985)]]
*[[MS GNV Aries|MV ''Norsea'' (1986)]]
*[[MV Havis|MV ''Havis'' (1992)]]
*[[Sea Launch Commander|''Sea Launch Commander'' (1996)]]
*[[RFA Wave Ruler (A390)|RFA ''Wave Ruler'' (2003)]]<ref>Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA): [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.5418 RFA ''Wave Ruler''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609064032/http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.5418 |date=9 June 2008 }}</ref>
*[[RFA Mounts Bay|RFA ''Mounts Bay'' (2004)]]<ref>Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA): [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.5815 RFA ''Mounts Bay''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609075724/http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.5815 |date=9 June 2008 }}</ref>
*[[HMS Daring (D32)|HMS ''Daring'' (2006)]]
*[[HMS Dauntless (D33)|HMS ''Dauntless'' (2007)]]
*[[HMS Diamond (D34)|HMS ''Diamond'' (2007)]]
*[[HMS Dragon (D35)|HMS ''Dragon'' (2008)]]
*[[HMS Defender (D36)|HMS ''Defender'' (2009)]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Clyde's new ship to make a splash|work=[[Evening Times]]|last=Stewart|first=Catriona|publisher=Evening Times|page=22|date=21 October 2009}}</ref>
*[[HMS Duncan (D37)|HMS ''Duncan'' (2010)]]

{{Columns-end}}

A list of almost 3000 ships built at Govan has been collected in the "Clydebuilt Database".<ref>[https://www.clydeships.co.uk/ Scottish built ships ] Caledonian Maritime Research Trust</ref> Ships built by the following companies: Robert Napier & Company, Randolph Elder & Company, Dobbie Hedderwick & Co., Dobie & Company, Mackie & Thomson, Smith & Rodgers, London & Glasgow Engineering and Iron Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., William Beardmore & Company, John Elder & Company, [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering|Fairfield Shipbuilding & Eng. Co. Ltd.]], Alexander Stephens & Sons, J & G Thomson, Harland & Wolff and more.

==Transport==
[[File:Govan Subway station - geograph.org.uk - 5925961.jpg | thumb | right | alt=Govan Subway station building | [[Govan subway station|Govan Interchange]]]]
Govan is served by [[Govan subway station|Govan Subway Station]], [[Ibrox subway station|Ibrox Subway Station]] and [[Cessnock subway station|Cessnock Subway Station]] on the [[Glasgow subway]] system.

[[Govan railway station]] opened on 2 December 1868. It closed permanently to regular passenger services on 9 May 1921.

Regular bus services, mainly operated by [[McGill's Bus Services]] and [[First Glasgow]], offer frequent routes to Glasgow City Centre, as well as to numerous locations in [[Renfrewshire]].

==Sports==
Govan borders the district of [[Ibrox, Glasgow|Ibrox]], home to the Scottish football club [[Rangers F.C.]] who traditionally incorporate the red and black civic colours in the socks of their kit;<ref>[http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Rangers/Rangers.htm Rangers], Historical Football Kits</ref> their [[Ibrox Stadium]] has a stand named for Govan (the closest to the heart of the burgh), although officially this was re-named after their former player [[Sandy Jardine]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7227-rangers-to-honour-sandy-jardine|title=Rangers To Honour Sandy Jardine|date=16 July 2014|work=Rangers F.C.|access-date=16 July 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725231249/http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7227-rangers-to-honour-sandy-jardine|archive-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

Govan is home to the Scottish [[Scottish Junior Football Association|Junior]] football team [[Benburb F.C.]] who until March 2014 played at Tinto Park ([[Drumoyne]]) then moved to the adjacent New Tinto Park. They share a rivalry with [[St Anthony's F.C.]] who originated from the Helen Street area of Govan, but are now based further west at [[Shieldhall]]. [[Linthouse F.C.|Linthouse]] and [[Parkgrove F.C.|Parkgrove]] were 19th century senior sides, who fell into decline and are now defunct.

There were two other sporting venues for local residents and workers located in the south of Govan (with no space available in the industrial northern area at the Clyde): [[White City Stadium, Glasgow|White City Stadium]] and [[Albion Greyhound Stadium]], both now entirely demolished.

==Media==
Govan is served by community radio station [[Sunny Govan Radio|Sunny Govan]], broadcasting on 103.5FM to the city of Glasgow and surrounding districts, discussing local issues and providing advice, and with diverse musical output covering soul, hip-hop and reggae.

Govan has had several local newspapers over the years such as the Govan Chronicle and ''Govan Press'' published by the Cossar Family (1851–1983) and by John Maclean (2006–2014) which also served the communities of [[Kinning Park]], [[Cardonald]], [[Penilee]] and [[Hillington, Glasgow|Hillington]], and the ''Govan Post'' (1983–1988) published by Cook, Paton & Co. of Paisley, now part of Dunfermline Press.

==Religion==
===Church of Scotland===
The church of Govan was a prebend of Glasgow. It was dedicated to St Constantine, who had been buried at Govan. 
On 13 July 1577, the teinds of Govan were granted to the University of Glasgow, and the Principal of the University ex officio was appointed minister of the parish. This settlement was set aside on 20 December 1621, and only the patronage of Govan was left to the University. There was a chapel in the parish at Partick. Govan Church was rebuilt in 1762, and again in 1826. A later rebuilding was begun in 1884 and was opened 19 May 1888.<ref name="NSA" /><ref name="fasti" />

==List of Provosts of Govan==
*1864–1867 Morris Pollok
*1867–1869 William Cruickshank
*1869–1872 Thomas Reid
*1872–1880 James Wilson
*1880–1883 John Thompson
*1883–1886 Alexander Campbell
*1886–1889 George Ferguson
*1889–1892 Neil McLean
*1892–1901 James Kirkwood
*1901–1904 John Marr
*1904–1908 [[Sir John Anthony]]
*1908–1912 David McKechnie

==Popular culture==
* Scottish TV sitcom ''[[Rab C Nesbitt]]'' is set in Govan; although the series is mostly filmed elsewhere.
* Channel 4's [[Time Team]] filmed a Series 4 episode in Govan, where they excavated the Churchyard at [[Govan Old Parish Church|Govan Old]], home of the [[The Govan Stones|Govan Stones]], and a local carpark to the immediate east of Water Row.

==Notable people==
{{see also|:Category:People from Govan}}
* [[Mary Barbour]], resident in Govan while helping to organise the [[Red Clydeside#Rent strikes|Glasgow Rent Strikes]]<ref>https://www.glasgowworld.com/news/new-mural-in-govan-reimagines-local-hero-mary-barbour-as-a-modern-day-activist-5129525 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2025}}</ref>
* [[Isabella Elder]], philanthropist who gifted [[Elder Park, Govan|Elder Park]] and {{ill|Elder Park Library|de}} to the people of Govan, as well as many other projects.
*[[Hugh Binning]] child genius, professor of philosophy and minister of Govan<ref name="NSA">{{cite book|last1=Leishman|first1=M|title=The new statistical account of Scotland.|chapter=Govan|date=1840|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|location=Edinburgh and London|pages=668–718|volume=6|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/b21365805_0006#page/n685/mode/2up|access-date=17 July 2020}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>
* [[Leo Blair (senior)]], father of former Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and high court judge Sir [[William Blair (judge)|William Blair]], raised on Golspie Street
* [[Ivor Cutler]] avant garde performer
* [[Alex Ferguson|Sir Alex Ferguson]], [[Manager (association football)|football manager]] and [[football player|player]] widely known for managing [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] from 1986 to 2013 (won more trophies than any other manager, considered one of the greatest of all time)<ref>{{cite book|first1=Russell|last1=Hoye|first2=Aaron|last2=Smith|first3=Matthew|last3=Nicholson|first4=Hans|last4=Westerbeek|first5=Bob|last5=Stewart|title=Sport Management, Volume 1, Second Edition: Principles and applications|publisher=Elsevier|year=2009|page=168|isbn=978-0-7506-8755-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-bruce-sir-alex-best-1424244|title=Steve Bruce: Sir Alex is the best manager ever|first=James|last=Hunter|work=Newcastle Chronicle|date=24 December 2010|access-date=18 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2011/nov/05/sir-alex-ferguson-greatest-all-time|title=Sir Alex Ferguson's adaptability has made him the greatest of all time|work=The Guardian|first=Paul|last=Hayward|date=5 November 2011|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-united/story/1517451/greatest-|title=Greatest Managers, No. 1: Ferguson|first=Iain|last=Macintosh|work=espnfc.us|date=9 August 2013|access-date=9 November 2015|archive-date=8 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608031909/http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-united/story/1517451/greatest-|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2019/05/23/5ce5c24eca4741c7638b4567.html|title=Guardiola on his way to becoming the most successful coach of all time|publisher=Marca|last1=Rubio|first1=Alberto|last2=Clancy|first2=Conor|date=23 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.90min.com/posts/6368360-the-7-managers-that-have-won-all-3-domestic-trophies-in-england|title=The 7 Managers That Have Won All 3 Domestic Trophies in England|publisher=www.90min.com|last=Smith|first=Matt|date=14 May 2019|access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref>
* [[James Hedderwick]], poet and newspaper proprietor, born and raised in Govan.
* [[Jimmy Speirs]], footballer (scored the winning goal in the 1911 FA Cup Final, received the Military Medal during the First World War)
* [[James Kelman]], writer<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jul/29/james-kelman-why-is-my-work-so-upsetting|title=James Kelman: 'Why is my work so upsetting for people?'|first=Decca|last=Aitkenhead|date=29 July 2012|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>
* [[George MacLeod]], minister of the [[Church of Scotland]]'s [[Govan Old Parish Church]] (founded the [[Iona Community]], whose offices are still based in Govan) 
* [[David Meiklejohn]], Rangers and Scotland footballer 
*[[Andrew Melville]] minister of Govan, reformer and scholar at Glasgow and St Andrews (exiled)<ref name="fasti">{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Hew|title=Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation|date=1920|publisher=Oliver and Boyd|location=Edinburgh|page=410|volume=3|url=https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc03scot/page/410|access-date=8 July 2019}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>
* [[Belle Moore]], Olympic Gold Medalist
* [[Thomas Ashburton Picken]], lithographer<ref>{{cite web|title=1881 England Census, The London Charterhouse, St Sepulchre Without, London, p.6 RG11/344|url=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7572/images/LNDRG11_344_349-0078?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=14712374|website=ancestry.co.uk|publisher=H. M. Government|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>
* [[Johnny Quigley]], footballer<ref>[http://www.nottinghamforest.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10308~1239793,00.html "FA Cup Final 1959"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106051706/http://www.nottinghamforest.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10308~1239793%2C00.html |date=6 November 2008 }}, Nottingham Forest</ref><ref>GRO Scotland</ref>
* [[Jimmy Reid]], trade unionist<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH1061&type=P|title=University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of Jimmy Reid|website=www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk|access-date=25 April 2015|archive-date=24 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424202301/http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH1061&type=P|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Iain Robertson]], actor<ref>[http://www.sunnygovan.com/GF/R-Z/IainRobertson.html "Iain Robertson"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005065925/http://www.sunnygovan.com/GF/R-Z/IainRobertson.html |date=5 October 2013 }}, Sunny Govan</ref>
* [[Chick Young]], football pundit
* [[Johnny Beattie]], actor and stand-up comedian
* [[Bill Martin (songwriter)|Bill Martin]],  songwriter, music publisher and impresario
* [[Elish Angiolini|Lady Elish Angiolini KC]], [[Lord Advocate]] of Scotland and former [[Solicitor General for Scotland]], brought up in Govan
* [[Peter Barr (nurseryman)|Peter Barr]], nurseryman and merchant better known as "The Daffodil King"
* [[Jim Craig (Scottish footballer)|Jim Craig]], Celtic player and Lisbon Lion
* [[George Rossi]], Scottish actor

==See also==
*[[Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?PageNumber=5&ActiveTextDocId=1248430|title=Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 (c. 3) Schedule 2 Shipbuilding Industry|access-date=28 April 2007|year=1977|publisher=[[UK Statute Law Database]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035303/http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?PageNumber=5&ActiveTextDocId=1248430|archive-date=30 September 2007}}

==External links==
*[http://www.communitycouncilsglasgow.org.uk/govan/ Govan Community Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031214432/http://www.communitycouncilsglasgow.org.uk/govan/ |date=31 October 2014 }}
*[http://www.gerryblaikie.com/southglasgow/govan.htm Govan Architecture and History] 
*[http://www.getintogovan.com/ Get into Govan ]
*[http://acumfaegovan.com/ Govan, the Place and the People] 
*[http://www.fairfieldgovan.co.uk/heritage/  Fairfield Heritage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826044034/http://www.fairfieldgovan.co.uk/heritage/ |date=26 August 2015 }}
*[http://geo.nls.uk/mapdata2/os/25_inch/govan/#zoom=14&lat=55.86437&lon=-4.33481&layers=B0000000000FFFT Govan Maps 1857–1934, National Library of Scotland]

{{Areas of Glasgow}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Govan| ]]
[[Category:Areas of Glasgow]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland]]
[[Category:Parishes in Lanarkshire]]
[[Category:Burghs]]