THE LAST PATTERNS OF THE CLYDE
When a director at Ferguson Shipbuilders contacted Trinity Marine, the old pattern workshop was about to be demolished. He hoped its contents and the history they represented - could still be saved.
We drove for eight hours from Devon and arrived in Port Glasgow the following day.
A RACE AGAINST DEMOLITION
With the building disappearing around us, there was little time to spare.
We filled sacks with the remaining wooden patterns and lowered them through an opening in the workshop wall to our waiting van.
We could’nt save the building, but we were able to rescue an extraordinary collection of the working tools once used by its craftsmen.
THE CRAFT BEHIND THE CASTINGS
Before a metal fitting could be cast for a ship, a patternmaker first had to create its shape in wood.
These carefully constructed patterns were pressed into foundry sand, leaving an impression into which molten metal could be poured. They needed to be practical and precise, but the care and skill behind their construction also made them beautiful objects in their own right.
Every curve, joint and marking records something of the craftsmen who made them and the shipbuilding tradition they served.
A SECOND LIFE FOR INDUSTRIAL HISTORY
The rescued patterns retain their original workshop markings, split construction and weathered paintwork. These details are reminders that they were created as working tools; their sculptural and decorative qualities came entirely by chance.
Some of the patterns have already begun a new chapter as wall displays in a steam-themed pub and restaurant. Others are now available for hotels, heritage interiors, architectural installations and private collections.
Displayed individually or brought together as a larger installation, each one carries a tangible connection to the Ferguson workshop and the people who worked within it.
Salvaged directly from the old pattern workshop in Port Glasgow, these original wooden forms are now available to purchase from Trinity Marine.
