Former shipbuilding crane provides day trip with guaranteed high point

If you are a fan of The Iron Man by Ted Hughes or Eduardo Paolozzi's robot sculptures, then you should visit the cantilever crane at Clydebank.

This giant of industrial engineering is one of only 14 Titan types that remain in the world. Standing 150ft tall and weighing in at 800 tons, it was capable of lifting around 200 tons and was a pretty impressive mega structure.

It has stood, watching over Clydebank, since 1907, when it was built at a cost of 24,600. It was a workhorse of the John Brown shipyards during its heyday.

Clydebank Re-built has invested more than 3 million on its restoration and development as a visitor attraction. As a Category A-listed historical structure even its distinctive blue hue had to be carefully matched to the original colour.

Visitors pitch up at the ticket office to await collection by minibus to visit the Titan proper.

The staff are both friendly and informative, arming the girls with worksheets, tasking them to look for specific objects on the hour-long tour.

Joining me today are my daughters Eve (eight) and Hope (five) and my goddaughter Stella (six) and her mum Alison. The journey is accompanied by an audio commentary from Bill Paterson, exploring the history of shipbuilding.

Disembarking and looking up at the jib and motor house is a dizzying experience. At the base there is an image of the workers who created this industrial masterpiece. The youngest at 14 was tasked with passing up the hot rivets to the men who hammered them fast.

Next, we head skyward, the girls babbling excitedly about travelling in Willy Wonka's glass elevator. Luckily it is only a 30-second express lift for us. The poor crane drivers' shifts started 30 minutes earlier and finished later than everyone else, due to their climb.

Emerging blinking into the sunlight, Stella's mum and I closed our eyes and tried not to look down, while the girls tore around taking it all in. The city views are as stunning as they are bracing, so remember to wrap up warm. You can see as far as the wind farm at Whitelee, and the Kirkpatrick hills.

However, looking down on the remains of the iconic John Brown shipyard is another matter; Stella described it as a "desert". She's right, when you spend time in the visitor centre looking at all the old photographs and memorabilia you mourn what's been lost.

Yet Clydebank and the Titan crane are survivors; despite being targeted in the devastating Clydebank Blitz in 1941, they are still standing, an enduring focus for phoenix-like renewal.

The crane is open daily, 10am-4pm, during July and August and Friday to Monday during September until 3 October. Tickets, 4.95/3.50. Visit www.titanclydebank.com

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 9 July, 2011