UNIVERSALLY known in Glasgow as The Tall Ship Glenlee, its distinctive masts are a familiar and much-loved sight, reminding people of the time when the River Clyde was bustling with traffic on its water.

Now, this week, for the first time in 30 years, the floating museum’s famous masts are being removed for essential conservation work.

Two of her three masts will travel south of the border, bound for a specialist workshop in Maldon, Essex.  

The vessel sits alongside the Riverside Museum and is owned by The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, an independent charity.

The team at TS Rigging, which has years of experience working with historic vessels throughout the UK, such as RRS Discovery, HMS Gannet and the Cutty Sark, will carry out detailed analysis of the strength and condition of the metal. Any necessary repairs will be carried out in the coming months. 

Glenlee is set to have an entire new set of running rigging and the standard rigging is to be serviced. These traditional skills are very rare and have even been added to the Heritage Crafts endangered list. 

Once complete, the masts will be returned to Glasgow and reinstalled on Glenlee in the summer.

The first phase of The Tall Ship Glenlee’s refurbishment focused on the internal hull and steel work and was completed in spring last year. 

The second phase, also funded by a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, marks the first major overhaul of the ship’s rigging in three decades. 

It represents a big change, albeit temporary, for the ship and its important place on Glasgow’s map.

Glenlee was built 130 years ago further down the River Clyde, in the town of Port Glasgow. The steel-hulled ship, designed to carry cargo across the world, was built by Anderson Rodger in the Bay Yard. 

In 1896, The Tall Ship Glenlee was originally fitted with three masts made mainly of steel, with wooden sections at the top to reduce overall weight. For the first 20 years of her working life, these masts were her only means of propulsion, driving her across the world’s oceans, using wind power alone. 

During this time, the rig endured severe weather and heavy seas, with some voyages causing significant damage that required repair at sea or in port.

She served as a British cargo sailing ship for over 20 years. From 1922 until 1979, by then named Galatea, the vessel was used by the Spanish Navy for training. During this time, the original wooden sections were removed and replaced with an entirely new steel rig.

By the 1990s she was in a sad state of disrepair before being rescued by the Clyde Maritime Trust, now the Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, in 1993. It was at this point she returned to the River Clyde.

By 1999, The Tall Ship Glenlee had been restored to her former glory by American expert sail rigger, Jamie White. The vessel has since become a popular museum, visitor attraction and events venue.

Her current berth is behind Glasgow’s famous Riverside Museum.

Chris Wood, a rigger with TS Rigging, the company working on Glenlee’s conservation said:

“Vessels such as Glenlee were once commonplace, but have now become a rarity largely consigned to history. To work on an original Victorian tall ship that has been saved for the nation is a privilege.

“The skills required to maintain these types of heritage vessels are as rare as the ships themselves. This unusual project gives a much needed opportunity to keep these skills alive both for old hands and new trainees, having recently been added to the endangered crafts list.”

John Monasta, Associate Director of Beckett Rankine, the maritime civil engineering consultancy project managing The Tall Ship Glenlee’s refurbishment, said: 

“Rigging refurbishment is a normal part of a tall ship’s lifecycle, and after roughly 30 years, the Glenlee was due for it. We are pleased to have the experts at TS Rigging on board to carry out this next phase of work, as part of ensuring the ship’s long-term preservation. 

“Beckett Rankine is committed to preserving maritime heritage for future generations, and this is an important step in Glenlee’s future.”

Fiona Greer, Development Director of The Tall Ship Glenlee, said:

“We are so pleased that this next stage of looking after our Tall Ship Glenlee is happening. Maintaining an historic vessel is an expensive but essential business: we want to ensure that Glenlee remains in best possible condition.

“Being able to upgrade her rigging with the funding received from National Heritage Memorial Fund is something we have been planning for a long time.

“People have asked us about watching the process as it happens as it’s not something one sees every day. We are recommending that people watch from Govan side or at the Govan-Partick Bridge footbridge. We don’t recommend being close to the ship because of the proximity of cranes.

“I’d also like to reassure all visitors who are booked in for events or thinking of visiting or booking The Tall Ship Glenlee we will be open between the periods during which the conservation work is happening.”

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Rodney and Liz Jones to the Tall Ship Glenlee. Rodney is the grandson of Charles Sleggs, who served as Chief Officer of the Islamount between 1918 and 1919, before the ship passed into Italian ownership.

Rodney brought a wonderful gift with him: a beautifully framed photograph of his grandfather alongside his wife and eight daughters. He presented it to our Vice Chair, Elizabeth Allen, who gratefully accepted it on behalf of the Trust.

Over tea in the café, Liz shared her research into Charles Sleggs’ remarkable career. She told the story of 1918, when he stepped up to command the Islamount after the captain and much of the crew fell ill with “Java fever” shortly after leaving Indonesia.

Afterwards, we took Rodney and Liz on a tour of the Glenlee. Liz shared stories of life at sea in Sleggs’ time, bringing to life the challenges and experiences his generation of sailors faced.

We ended the morning feeling inspired, grateful, and glad to welcome Rodney and Liz as part of the Glenlee family.