Clydebank Titan wins Engineering Heritage Award

The crane joins the ranks of previous winners such as Tower Bridge and the Vulcan Bomber

The Clydebank Titan crane in Scotland has been awarded the Engineering Heritage Award, celebrating its status as the oldest crane of its type in existence and one of only 13 Titan cranes remaining in the world.

Chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Heritage Committee John Wood said: “The Clydebank Titan Crane is a magnificent example of mechanical engineering, which forms an integral part of the local landscape.

“This award doesn’t just celebrate the great work of Sir William Arrol and Company and the team who built the crane but also an award to celebrate the fantastic work of Clydebank re-built to restore it and open it up to the public.”

Built in 1907 by Sir William Arrol and Company Limited, Titan was instrumental in the prosperity of the shipyard and Clydebank’s rich shipbuilding heritage.

Claire McGinley, operations manager at Clydebank re-built said: "We are very honoured to receive this prestigious heritage engineering award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

"The Titan was the first electrically powered giant cantilever crane in the world and its lifting power helped John Browns build the biggest ships in the world in the last century.

"This recognition of the Titan by the Institution underlines the proud skills and ingenuity of our mechanical engineers - past and present - who have played such an important part in the development of shipbuilding and industry not just on the Clyde but in the rest of Scotland and UK"

The Titan Crane is category ‘A’ listed, the highest listing in Scotland putting it on a par with both Edinburgh and Stirling Castles. It opened in 2007 and in 2008 it was awarded the Chicago Athenaeum Award for Architecture. In 2009 it won two awards from the Civic Trust, including the Scottish Place Making Award.

Titan crane facts

• It was built by Sir William Arrol and Company and erected in 1907
  
• The crane is 150ft tall (46m)
• It weighs 800 tonnes
• The foundations are set 80 feet into the ground (24m)
• The canteliever is 240ft (73m) in length, the long arm being 150ft (46m) long and shorter 90ft (28m)

• To find out more about this unique crane, and visiting the attraction see www.titanclydebank.com