Doors Open Day: Free tours of the Pearce Institute
Schedule
Fri Sep 20 2024 at 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
Location
840-860 Govan Road, G51 3UU Glasgow, United Kingdom | Glasgow, SC
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No need to book in advance, just turn up on the day. Tours running every half hour from 12pm til 2.30pm on Friday 20 September.The area around Govan Cross in Glasgow is dominated by the Pearce Institute, known to Govanites as “the PI”. It is a magnificent building, category A listed, and is an eclectic mix of Scottish and Dutch Renaissance styles, with crow-step gables, oriel windows, external iron balconies, and sporting on its roof a sculpture of a fully-rigged sailing ship built by the workers in the local Fairfield shipyard. Designed by the architect Rowand Anderson, the PI celebrated its centenary in 2006, an anniversary which was officially marked by a lunch at the PI on 10 March. William Pearce was the chairman and owner of the Fairfield yard in Govan from 1869 until 1885, after becoming a partner in the firm, then owned by John Elder, in the 1860s. Born in Kent in 1833 he originally worked at Chatham Dockyard before coming north to the then far greater opportunities offered on the Clyde for shipbuilding. Under Pearce, Fairfields became the biggest and probably the most technically advanced shipyard in the world, and his success made him a millionaire by his early death at 55. Pearce became Govan’s first M.P. in 1885, as a Conservative, and was created a baronet in 1887.
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Where is it happening?
840-860 Govan Road, G51 3UU Glasgow, United Kingdom, 860 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 3UU, United Kingdom,Glasgow, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays: