It looks like a very old scene, but this is Glasgow in 1966 when the Beatles had already been playing for six years, and Britain was supposed to have been swinging. It is the last running of the Govan Ferry which took foot passengers from Govan across to Pointhouse and was used mainly by shipyard workers. There was also a car ferry which was withdrawn a year earlier.
At one time there were 11 ferry routes cross-crossing the Upper Clyde but the building of the Clyde Tunnel and the Kingston Bridge put paid to that. The ferries docked at slippery, worn wooden steps, and the occasional passenger was known to slip into the water if they were not too steady on their feet.
Sadly the Govan Ferry was the scene of a terrible transport tragedy in 1864 when it was simply a large rowing boat. It capsized, and 19 people drowned.
Last summer a small ferry was introduced between Govan and the Riverside Museum for tourists, and hopefully it will be revived again this year.
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