Wymess Bay Train Station

Wymess Bay Train Station

Wemyss Bay (pronounced 'weems') is a small village on the Firth of Clyde, situated 8 miles southwest of Greenock and around 30 miles west of central Glasgow.

Although its history can be traced back to the 15th century, Wemyss Bay largely developed as a resort town following the creation of the rail connection to Glasgow and the regular steamer service to Rothesay during the later 19th century.

Wemyss Bay Station, a startling wrought-iron and glass palace serves as a reminder of the great glory days when thousands of Glaswegians would alight for their steamer trip 'doon the watter' (that is, down the River Clyde to Bute, a popular holiday destination for Glaswegians before the advent of mass air travel). You can still catch the CalMac ferry from here over to Rothesay, capital of Bute.

The station and pier are perhaps the most famous landmarks in Wemyss Bay and their history stretches back to the 19th Century. The Wemyss Bay line was opened in 1865 after a group of labourers, mainly Irish, worked to take the line through the hills to Wemyss Bay.

The inaugural service was advertised as being superior to the line which served Greenock, as all of the carriages contained seats! The journey to Glasgow took just over an hour with a First Class return costing about 3/6 (about 22p) and Third Class 2/- (10p). Five years later (1870) the first steamer service to be run in association with the railway was started.

The original station was a square, rather ugly building and the pier was also fairly basic and visually unexciting. In June 1903, the new "double" line was opened followed by the new railway station and much improved pier to serve the ever increasing Clyde Steamer traffic. The new complex became one of the showpieces of Scottish railways. It was dominated by the impressive sixty-foot Clock Tower, and was built in Queen Anne style, half-timbered and roughcast with sandstone facing. The large, circular glass-roofed interior became renowned for its outstanding displays of potted plants and hanging baskets.

Contained within the station were the tickets office, station bar, and various kiosks, which sadly are no longer in use. In recent years the station has undergone a major refurbishment and attempts were made at that time to restore the flowering exhibits to their former glory. However, due to lack of money, staff interest and neither Railtrack, Strathclyde Transport nor the local council being willing to accept responsibility for their upkeep, it was nothing more than a temporary renaissance.




The station today is an A listed structure.