A district of Glasgow, which forms part of an old parish of the same name, situated 3 miles (5 km) west of Glasgow city centre, Govan lies on the south side of the River Clyde opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin. A Columban monastery was founded here by King Constantine in the 6th century and later the settlement developed in association with a ford, and then the Govan ferry, which linked with Partick and was used seasonally by cattle drovers. In the 18th and 19th centuries weaving and coal mining were important and in the early 19th century shipbuilding emerged as a leading industry. Gaining burgh status in 1862, Govan became Scotland's fifth largest burgh before being absorbed into the city of Glasgow in 1912. Formerly divided into Meikle Govan and Little Govan, the latter came to be known as the Gorbals, with Govanhill to the south.
Although shipbuilding continues at the BAE Govan Shipyard (which began in 1864 as Randolph, Elder & Co. and later became Fairfield), its decline in the 20th C. led Govan to become one of the most deprived areas of Scotland in terms of income, employment, education, health and housing. This brought the Govan Initiative in 1986 and later the Central Govan Action Plan to boost the economy, attract new housing, repair historic buildings, improve the public realm and create new spaces for small businesses. Govan Housing Association was established in 1971 and is now responsible for managing and maintaining 1500 affordable homes in the area, including new developments in Golspie Street (2012) and Water Row (2024). The 102 coloured 'pods' in Golspie Row cost £13 million, while the Water Row development cost £21 million and was part of a masterplan developed around the Govan Partick Bridge. This bridge replaced the Govan ferry, one of the oldest regular crossings of the River Clyde, first recorded in the 16th C. By 1900 it was a vehicle ferry, but this was withdrawn in 1965 after the opening of the Clyde Tunnel and the passenger ferry was retired two years later. The latter was re-introduced in 2011 after the Riverside Museum opened on the opposite bank of the Clyde and ran until the new bridge opened in 2024.
Notable buildings include Govan Old Parish Church (1888, disused as a church 2007), Fairfield Heritage (1891), Govan Town Hall (1901), Elder Park Library (1903), the Pearce Institute (1906) and the Govan Lyceum (1938), an Art Deco super-cinema that once held audiences of 2600 but is now in a parlous state and placed on the Building at Risk Register in 2002. However the biggest building in Govan is undoutedly now the 49-m / 160-foot high ship build hall which was completed in 2025 covering the former Fairfield fitting-out basin and providing BAE Systems with a secure covered space to construct warships. The Aitken Memorial Fountain (1884) at Govan Cross was restored in 2011.
There are a remarkable number of Govanites who gained prominence, including shipbuilder John Elder (1824-69) and his wife Isabella Elder (1828 - 1905), nurseryman Peter Barr (1826 - 1909), medical scientist Sir Robert Philip (1857 - 1939), geologist Dr. James Phemister (1893 - 1986), community leader Mary Barbour (1875 - 1958), olympic swimmer Belle Moore (1894 - 1975), footballer David Meiklejohn (1900-59), aviator David McIntyre (1905-57), eccentric poet Ivor Cutler (1923 - 2006), entertainer Johnnie Beattie (1926 - 2020), trade union leader Jimmy Reid (1932 - 2010), nationalist politician Gordon Wilson (1938 - 2017), songwriter Bill Martin (1938 -2020), football manager Sir Alex Ferguson (b. 1941), lawyer Elish Angiolini (b. 1960), and actor Iain Robertson (b. 1981).
The Govan Old Victualling Society was founded in 1777, the second oldest co-operative Society in the UK, but disappeared around 1908. Local tradition survives in the form of the annual Govan Old Fair, while a small market takes place in Govan every Saturday.
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