Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division, shipbuilders Glasgow, Scotland

• Board papers, reports etc. 1850-1981
• Correspondence files 1914-1966
• Financial records 1848-1979
• Enquiries, estimates and tender files 1916-1968
• Specification files 1862-1966
• Ships files (ships nos. 454-698, incomplete) 1911-1968
• Ship plans (ships nos. 468-701, incomplete)
• Engine drawings (engines nos. 453-635, incomplete)
• Microfilms of engines drawings nos. 549-656
• Photographs (negatives and prints) 1936-1967
• Particulars of vessels and historical notes 1852-1968
• Production records 1825-1966
• Staff records and wages books 1927-1970
• Stephen family notebooks and correspondence (chiefly those of Alexander Stephen Jnr, 1883-1899) 1813-1946
• Cinematographic film 20th century

Originally founded by Alexander Stephen at Burghead, Moray, Scotland, in 1750  , the family continued business there and at Aberdeen, Scotland , and Arbroath, Angus, Scotland , until production was concentrated at Dundee, Scotland , in 1843  . From 1828  the firm traded under the name Alexander Stephen & Sons . A yard was established at Kelvinhaugh, Glasgow, Scotland , in 1851  and this was transferred to the south side of the River Clyde after the Linthouse estate was purchased in 1869  and a yard was prepared. Two years later an engine works was added to this site. The speciality of the firm was cargo-passenger vessels which included a number of banana boats for Elders & Fyffes Ltd . In 1894  , the Dundee yard was sold. In 1900  , the business was incorporated as a limited liability company, Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd , and it became a public company in 1946  . In 1963  , the assets and goodwill of Simons-Lobnitz Ltd ,shipbuilders, Renfrew, Scotland were acquired and in 1968  the company's shipbuilding assets were transferred to Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd , formed following the recommendations of the Geddes Committee of Inquiry into the Shipping Industry (1965). The Linthouse yard was closed due to lack of orders in order to reduce the group's over-capacity. The repairing and marine engine building activities of the firm continued as two separate concerns, Alexander Stephen Shiprepairers Ltd and Alexander Stephen Engineering Ltd The repair business closed in 1978  .)

Ritchie, L A (ed),The shipbuilding industry: A guide to historical records , (1992, Manchester)

This material is arranged into series, which consist of numbers of items related by function and/or format. Within series, the items are generally arranged chronologically.

Requests for access for legal, business or commercial purposes must be referred to the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (UCS 003 only).

Open (UGD 349 only).

National Archives of Scotland, 1981-1995

Held under the charge and superintendence of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland

Additional gift, 1992

Manual file level list available in searchroom

Manual file level list available at the National Register of Archives in London (NRA14659) (UCS 003 only)

No known copies

See separate copyright regulations (UCS 001 only)

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist (UGD 349 only).

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & conditions of documents (UGD 349 only).

This material has been appraised in line with National Archives of Scotland procedures

Records held by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division prior to acquisition by the National Archives of Scotland

Accruals possible

See source list on Shipping and Shipbuilding Industry available via the Glasgow University Archive Services homepage

GB 248 UGD 215 : GB 248 UGD 356 : GB 248 UCS 004 Records of Simons-Lobnitz Ltd

GB 248 UGD 355 and GB 248 UCS 005 Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd

GB 248 UGD 004 Records of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd

GB 248 UGD 006 Papers of Alexander Murray Stephen (1892-1974: Sir, Knight, Chairman of Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd)

GB 248 UGD 114 and GB 248 UGD 115 Records of William Simons & Co Ltd (shipbuilders: 1895-1959: Renfrew)

GB 248 UGD 130 Miscellaneous ship plans

GB 248 UGD 149 Miscellaneous ship and engine photographs

GB 247 Sp Coll Mu22-c.7. Launch of an Atlantic liner at Linthouse; description of SS State of California 1891 (Glasgow University Library Special Collections)

Scottish Film Archive: Cinematic film of launches and tests c1960-1964

For contact details of all repositories with a GB code, see the ARCHON repository search page

No known publications using this material

This material is original

The fonds level of description was compiled by Carole McCallum, 13 March 2000

Revised by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 19 October 2001