Menootandaboot; A Proper Outing

On the day of Mac1's return to Edinburgh, I went with her - my first trip on the ferry in two years! We were headed for Greenock, specifically, the Watt Institution McLean Museum. (Note the different spelling - a different clan branch altogether!) 

It is one of those places on one's doorstep that somehow, one day, it would get visited... and never did. Till now. (Why do we so often miss out on our local cultural offerings???) It took us a very short time indeed, once there, to agree it would bear multiple visits. Mainly as the art gallery portion was closed. Discussion with the desk attendant revealed that changes are underway, with the rearrangement of existing exhibits and the siting of new ones. This, however, did not in any way result in disappointment, for on the lower level alone, there was plenty to absorb. We were happy for two hours and had no idea that time had passed! 

At the entry, we were met with an installation commemorating all the WW1 fallen of Gourock, Greenock and Port Glasgow. We agreed this was as fine a memorial as might be seen. Somehow more personal and with a real sense of holding the essence of those unreturned from war because of the love that goes into hand-making such an item (patchworking and quilting techniques). We lingered long, giving our respects as we read out the names that caught our eyes. As ever, the camera does not justice to the sensation of the piece.

There is a small but intriguing Egyptian section:

A few cases are given over to the society of the immediate vicinity, the clubs, the sports, the institutions and the lifestyle...

It will not surprise you to read that the main focus was shipping. These three towns were, after all, a large part of the shipbuilding industry. I took quite a few pictures of all the gorgeous models, but I will not load you with those. Just know that if nothing else mattered in the world, I would be proud to have a few of them in my own home! In the main hall, there was seating provided so that we could watch a short film made in 1961, "Seawards The Great Ships." It won an Oscar, so you can be assured it is wonderful! Of course, it demanded that I share it with you but could not find an embeddable format. Thus, if you go to the link from the title, you will find it on archival Scotland On Film (part of National Library)...but chopped into four 'clips' for some reason. There are additional items there too, which I have yet to explore myself. 

(Mind you, claiming it as Scotland's first Oscar-winning film is a bit of a stretch, as filmmaker Hilary Harris was American. Quite avant-garde. I found a good little interview discussing his various works... this link will take you to where the discussion is about Seawards...)

Having watched the glory days of shipbuilding, we came out to a few cabinets narrating the loss of that industry. Very poignant.

Oh... and this one is for my Canadian blogpals! I got a little excited on first reading this, thinking we were standing in the actual building - but research showed that it was actually in the Ravenscraig Hospital - still Greenock!

Truly, Mac1 and I were well impressed with this place, and I am annoyed I hadn't been to it before now! There are some more items I will share with you - one tomorrow, making it into an FFFeature post... and the other the following week as an FFFilmclub post.

As we left, I grabbed a snap of the bit of industrial workings in the gardens - in case you missed the connection, the museum comes under the umbrella of the Watt Institution... and I am sure you are all familiar with James Watt? 

I got dropped off back at the foot ferry terminus and made my own way back over the water, enjoying my stroll along the promenade and shoreline and back to the Hutch, which seemed to welcome me back with the question, "And where have you been all this time??!!!"