Valerie Boa, the curator of the McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock, has talked about James Watt’s early life in the town. The inventor was born in William Street in 1736.

Listen here:

Etching on paper entitled 'Mid Kirk, Greenock' by William Niven (1890 Greenock - 1947 Greenock). Signed 'William Niven WN' at the lower left by the artist.
Etching on paper entitled ‘Mid Kirk, Greenock’ by William Niven (1890 Greenock – 1947 Greenock). Signed ‘William Niven WN’ at the lower left by the artist. The print shows a view looking along William Street, Greenock , towards the Mid Kirk church. Men with sheep are in the foreground, with the statue of James Watt on the right.

 

WATT’S LEGACY TO THE TOWN

Valerie also talked about Watt’s legacy and how visitors can walk in Watt’s footsteps.

The McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock - undergoing a revamp.
The McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock – undergoing a revamp.

Please note that Greenock’s McLean Museum and Art Gallery – and neighbouring Watt Library – are currently (at the time of writing in 2018) closed for renovations. The complex is expected to re-open in the summer of 2019.

In the meantime, some displays are on show at the Inverclyde Heritage Hub in Cathcart Street. The Hub includes free tourist/heritage guides – including a publication about Watt’s life.

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The Inverclyde Heritage Hub building.

 

The Watt Statue at William Street, Greenock.

Historical image copyright of the Inverclyde Libraries, McLean Museum and Art Gallery and Inverclyde Archives Service – available for personal non-commercial use under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. 

The image at the top of the page and above – William Street in Greenock today, including the Watt statue.

 

Published by Editor