Dumbarton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dumbarton
|
|
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Skyline of Dumbarton |
|
 Dumbarton
|
|
| Population | 20,480 (2020) |
| OS grid reference | NS397759 |
| • Edinburgh | 54 mi (87 km) E |
| • London | 356 mi (574 km) SSE |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUMBARTON |
| Postcode district | G82 |
| Dialling code | 01389 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Dumbarton is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It sits on the north bank of the River Clyde. Here, the River Leven flows into the wider Clyde estuary. In 2006, about 19,990 people lived there.
The name Dumbarton comes from Scottish Gaelic. It means 'fort of the Britons'. This reminds us that early people in this area spoke an old form of Welsh.
Dumbarton was once the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Strathclyde. Later, it became the main town for the county of Dunbartonshire. Dumbarton Castle, located on Dumbarton Rock, is a famous landmark. Dumbarton was a special town called a royal burgh from 1222 until 1975.
In the 1800s, Dumbarton was known for shipbuilding, glassmaking, and making whisky. These industries have become smaller now. Today, many people who live in Dumbarton travel to Glasgow for work. Glasgow is about 13 miles (21 km) to the east-southeast. The town has its own football team, Dumbarton F.C.. It is also home to BBC Scotland's drama studio, where TV shows are made.
Contents
Discovering Dumbarton's Past
Dumbarton has a very long history. It goes back at least to the Iron Age. Some people think it might have been an important Roman place called Alauna. In the times after the Romans, the settlement was known as Alcluith. Records show a king of Clyde Rock died there in AD 658.
The fortress of Dumbarton was a strong base for the Britons in northern Britain. This lasted for over 200 years. But in 870, Vikings attacked and destroyed the fortress after a four-month siege. After this, a new kingdom called Strathclyde appeared. Its main center was in Govan.
King Alexander II gave Dumbarton the special status of a royal burgh in 1222. This meant it had certain rights and privileges.
In 1605, there were worries that sea floods might destroy the town. Building flood defenses was very expensive.
A bridge over the River Leven was first suggested in 1682. The Old Dumbarton Bridge was finally built in 1765. It helped people travel easily to Glasgow. The bridge has been updated over the years and is now a protected historic building.
Dumbarton During World War II
During World War II, the German air force, called the Luftwaffe, bombed Dumbarton heavily. They were trying to hit the shipyards. To protect the shipyards, people set up decoy lights on the hills above the town. These lights were meant to look like the shipyards reflecting on the water. This trick often worked, and many bombs fell harmlessly on the moors and lochs.
There was also a special 'Starfish' decoy site. It used fireworks to copy the look of bombs dropped by German planes. This helped to trick bombers away from their real targets. You can still see 23 bomb craters in the area, showing how well this plan worked.
Exploring Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle stands on Dumbarton Rock. This rock is a volcanic plug that formed 334 million years ago. It is at the mouth of the River Leven, where it meets the Clyde estuary.
The Castle has a very famous history. Many important people from Scotland and Britain have visited it. It was a royal fortress long before Dumbarton became a royal burgh. The castle was very important during the Wars of Scottish Independence. William Wallace was held prisoner here for a short time.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was taken from here to France for safety when she was a child. Later, she tried to reach Dumbarton Castle after her final defeat at Langside. In more recent times, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II have also visited the castle.
Today, Dumbarton Rock is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it is legally protected to keep it safe for the future. Any work on the rock is carefully controlled by the Scottish Government. Activities like climbing on the rock are not allowed. From the top of the castle, you can see both the River Clyde and Levengrove Park.
Levengrove Park: A Green Space
Levengrove Park was created in 1885. It was built on the land of the old Levengrove Estate. The Denny and McMillan families, who owned shipbuilding companies, gave the land to the town.
There is a grave site in the park. It holds the internal organs of the former Scottish king Robert the Bruce. It was common practice at the time to bury these parts locally if a person's body was being moved a long distance for burial.
Dumbarton's Location and Government
Since 1975, Dumbarton has been part of the local government system in Scotland. Today, West Dunbartonshire Council is based in modern offices inside the old Dumbarton Burgh Hall.
Dumbarton also has its own area for the Scottish Parliament. This is called the Dumbarton constituency.
Areas of Dumbarton
Dumbarton is made up of several different areas. These include:
- Barnhill
- Bellsmyre
- Brucehill
- Castlehill
- Dumbarton East (including Newtown)
- Garshake
- Kirktonhill
- Levengrove
- Oxhill
- Silverton
- Townend
- Westcliff
- West Bridgend
Learning in Dumbarton
Dumbarton has two secondary schools: Dumbarton Academy and Our Lady & St Patrick's High School. There are also eight primary schools for younger students. These include Aitkenbar Primary, St. Michael's Primary, Knoxland Primary, Braehead Primary, St. Peter's Primary, St. Patrick's Primary, and Dalreoch Primary.
Economy and Getting Around
Shipbuilding History
From the mid-1700s to the early 1800s, Dumbarton's main business was glassmaking. As glassmaking became less important, the town became a big center for shipbuilding. This continued well into the 1900s. Many ships were built here. One of the most famous is the Cutty Sark. It was built by Scott & Linton. The Cutty Sark was one of the last and fastest Tea Clippers. Today, you can see this ship in dry dock in Greenwich, London.
William Denny and Brothers Shipyard
The last big shipyard in Dumbarton was William Denny and Brothers. It closed in 1963. Denny's was known for being very creative and for its research. They were respected for their work on high-pressure turbines and hull stabilization. They even built an early helicopter design in 1909. In their final years, they worked on hovercrafts.
The last part of the Denny's shipbuilding company that still exists is the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank. This was the first place in the world built to test ship models for businesses. It still has many of its original features. These include a water tank as long as a football pitch and machines for shaping wax model ship hulls.
During World War II, Blackburn Aircraft made Sunderland flying boats from a factory next to Denny's shipyard. There is still a shipyard on the River Leven called Sandpoint Marina. A statue of the famous shipbuilder, Peter Denny, stands outside the Municipal Buildings.
Whisky Production
Making whisky also became a major industry in Dumbarton. In 1936, a Canadian company bought a Glasgow-based whisky distiller. In 1938, they built a large whisky distillery on the River Leven. This made Dumbarton a big center for the whisky industry for many years.
The large red-brick buildings of the Dumbarton distillery were taken down in 2017. However, large storage areas for whisky and a bottling plant are still in use.
Some old whisky sites have found new uses. Part of a former whisky storage area is now a film set for TV shows.
Ballantine's Whisky became famous for its unusual "security guards" at its storage complex. These were a large group of white Chinese geese. They were first brought in in 1959. They are nicknamed 'The Scotch watch'. These geese have been used in many advertisements for Ballantine's whisky.
Other Businesses
As the whisky industry has changed, Dumbarton has become more of a town where people live and travel to work elsewhere. The Faslane naval base is a big employer for the area. The Strathleven Industrial Estate near Dumbarton used to have large factories. These included companies that made adding machines and clocks. Many of these closed as technology changed.
Polaroid UK has been in Dumbarton since 1965. This was the biggest Polaroid factory outside the US. At its busiest, it employed about 1800 people. But digital photography changed things. While Polaroid still has a presence in Dumbarton, fewer than 100 people work there now. They mainly make sunglass lenses. The company Aggreko plc, which supplies generators, has had a facility in the town since the 1970s.
Getting Around Dumbarton
Dumbarton is on the main A82 road. This road connects Glasgow to the western Scottish Highlands. Dumbarton is also close to Balloch pier. From there, you can take boat trips on Loch Lomond.
Dumbarton has three railway stations: Dumbarton Central, Dumbarton East, and Dalreoch railway station. These stations are on the North Clyde Line. This line connects Helensburgh in the west, through Glasgow Queen Street, to Edinburgh Waverley in the east.
Local Media
Nation Radio Scotland, the local radio station for West Dunbartonshire, is based in Dumbarton. The town also has two local weekly newspapers: The Lennox Herald and The Dumbarton Reporter.
Culture and Fun in Dumbarton
Sports in Dumbarton
Dumbarton has a football club called Dumbarton F.C. (also known as 'Sons of the Rock'). They play in the Scottish Professional Football League. Their home games are at the Dumbarton Football Stadium, which is next to Dumbarton Rock. They won the 1882–83 Scottish Cup and have been runners-up five times.
The Scottish League started in 1890, and Dumbarton was one of the first teams to join. They shared the first championship with Rangers.
There are seven bowling clubs in Dumbarton.
The famous motor-racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart was born in Dumbarton. He competed in Formula One and won three World Drivers' Championships.
Arts and Music
The Scottish poet Robert Burns was given the special title of "freeman" of Dumbarton. He wrote about Dumbarton in a letter from 1787.
Dumbarton is also remembered in the traditional Scottish song "Dumbarton's Drums". This song was recorded by the Midgies Ceilidh Band in a local church.
The novelist A. J. Cronin's grandfather owned a hat shop in Dumbarton.
David Byrne, a musician who has won many awards, was born in Dumbarton. He is best known as a founding member of the band Talking Heads.
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Championships
Since 2000, Dumbarton has hosted the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Championships. Over 140 bands enter each year, including groups from other countries. This championship is one of the biggest and most important pipe band events in the world. Besides the pipe band competition, there is also a funfair and Highland dancing competitions.
Theatre in Town
The Denny Civic Theatre is used by many local groups. One of these is the Dumbarton People's Theatre.
Overtoun House
Overtoun House is a large mansion built between 1859 and 1862. It overlooks the town from the hills. It was built for a rich chemical manufacturer from Glasgow.
Famous People from Dumbarton
- David Byrne – Musician (Talking Heads)
- Marcus Campbell – Snooker player
- Zander Diamond – Football player
- Jane Duncan – Novelist
- Douglas Gordon – Artist
- Patrick Harvie – MSP
- Jimmy McCulloch – Musician (Paul McCartney and Wings)
- John McFall – Politician
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton when they married in 2018.
- Jackie Stewart – Formula 1 racing driver
- William Strang – Painter and printmaker
- David Ward – Opera singer
Images for kids
-
The Old Dumbarton Bridge over the River Leven.
-
The entrance to the Auchenreoch Muir 'Starfish' decoy control bunker.
-
Dumbuck House (with later extensions) as a hotel in 2007.
-
Dumbarton's Civic Coat of Arms
-
A northwards view of Dumbarton across the tidal River Clyde, with the distant Ben Lomond visible to the right of Dumbarton Rock
-
Early side-lever engine designed by Robert Napier, from PS Leven (1823), on display at the Scottish Maritime Museum
-
The Municipal Buildings with the statue of Peter Denny in front
-
The skyline of Dumbarton used to be dominated by the red-brick former Ballantine's grain distillery.
-
Dumbarton town centre, 2006.
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Dumbarton para niños
