Visit Helensburgh Places

Welcome to Visit Helensburgh Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Helensburgh

  

Helensburgh Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Helensburgh

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Helensburgh history

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Ardencaple Castle was the ancestral home of Clan MacAulay, and may date back to the twelfth century. Only one tower of this building remains, the rest having been demolished in 1957–59.

Sir James Colquhoun buys the area

Helensburgh received its burgh charter from King George III in 1802. The town’s coat of arms is based on those of the Colquhouns and the Sutherlands.

Henry Bell and the “Comet”

Henry Bell (1767–1830) had arrived in Helensburgh by 1806. He probably designed and built the Baths Inn which he and his wife then ran as a hotel. He also served as the town’s first recorded Provost from 1807–09. In 1812 the paddle steamer Comet was the first commercial steamship in Europe.

The railway arrives

The Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway opened in 1858. The railway meant that the wealthier business people of Glasgow could now commute daily between the two places. This led to the expansion of the town northwards up the hill and the building of many substantial Victorian villas. The Hill House, designed in 1902–03 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, now belongs to the National Trust.

The First World War

There are 205 men and 1 woman named on Helensburgh’s war memorial in Hermitage Park. There are also war memorials nearby in Rhu, Shandon and Cardross.

Faslane

Military Port Number 1 opened at Faslane on the Gareloch, 5 miles (8 km) from Helensburgh in 1941. A railway was built linking Faslane to the West Highland Line. A vast tonnage of wartime supplies was moved through Faslane, and it was also used as a port for troop movements.

You can visit Helensburgh places with Walkfo Helensburgh to hear history at Helensburgh’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Helensburgh has 12 places to visit in our interactive Helensburgh map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Helensburgh, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Helensburgh places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Helensburgh & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 12 audio facts unique to Helensburgh places in an interactive Helensburgh map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Helensburgh Places Map
12 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Helensburgh historic spots	Helensburgh tourist destinations	Helensburgh plaques	Helensburgh geographic features
Walkfo Helensburgh tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Helensburgh

  

Best Helensburgh places to visit

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Helensburgh has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Helensburgh’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Helensburgh’s information audio spots:

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Visit Helensburgh plaques