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Gourock (Guireag in Scottish Gaelic which means pimple shaped or rounded hill in reference to the many hills surrounding the area) is a burgh in Inverclyde, Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde. Its principal function today, however, is as a popular residential area, extending contiguously from Greenock, with a railway terminus and ferry services across the Clyde.
History
As far back as 1494 it is recorded that James IV sailed from the shore at Gourock to quell the rebellious Highland clans. Two hundred years later William and Mary granted a Charter in favour of Stewart of Castlemilk which raised Gourock to a Burgh of Barony. In 1784 the lands of Gourock were purchased by Duncan Darroch, a former merchant in Jamaica. He built Gourock House in what they eventually gifted to the town as Darroch Park, later renamed by the council as Gourock Park.
From a small fishing village in the traditional county of Renfrewshire, Gourock grew into a community involved in herring curing, copper mining, ropemaking, quarrying and latterly yacht-building and repairing.
When the competing railway companies extended their lines to provide fast connections to Clyde steamer services the Pierhead was built as a railway terminus. Nowadays Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the pierhead to Dunoon, a Clyde Marine ferry serves Kilcreggan and Helensburgh, and electric trains provide a service to Glasgow from Gourock railway station.
Like many Scottish seaside towns, Gourock's tourist heyday was in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. Evidence of this part of its past is gradually disappearing - The Bay Hotel and Cragburn Pavilion, two local landmarks, disappeared towards the end of the last century.
Places of interest
Gourock boasts one of the few remaining public outdoor swimming pools in Scotland. Built in 1909 and reconstructed in 1969, it was once tidal and had a sandy floor, but is now a modern, heated facility.
The megalithic Kempock Stone, popularly known as "Granny Kempock", stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street. The supersition was that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune. A flight of steps winds up from the street past the stone to Castle Mansions and St John's Church, whose crown steeple forms a landmark dominating Gourock. Kempock Street itself has a good variety of traditional shops including baker's and greengrocer's shops.
Gourock park lies to the east of the town. Gourock Burn runs down to the west side of the park, and the Scout Hall of the 1st Gourock and 6th Renfrewshire Scout Troop, known as Colonel Darroch's Own, is on that side of Gourock Park. The head of the Scottish clan Darroch is based in Gourock, though the house was demolished some time ago.
Areas of Gourock
Ashton, Cardwell Bay, Levan, McInroy's Point, Midton, TrumpethillPhotographs of Gourock
External links
Ports and harbours of Scotland | Seaside resorts in Scotland | Towns in Inverclyde
"Gourock"