It"s all very well talking about heritage, but important records and recollections from the past will be lost unless someone takes the bother to research the subject.

Thankfully, as a result of sterling work carried out by a number of people, a Clyde river pilot archive is being deposited with the Mitchell Library, Glasgow.

The archive dates from the mid-1880s and covers the Clyde Pilot Board, Clyde Pilotage Authority, Clyde Port Authority and Clydeport PLC.

It includes correspondence and papers collected by a group of former pilots.

The work was collated and edited by local author and historian, Anthony McNeill.

Around 60 photographs are featured, including today"s fascinating glimpse into the past, above, which was provided by former pilot, Captain James Barron.

The building is the first pilot station at what became the Princes Pier small boat harbour.

The date is believed to be between around 1860 and 1892/93.

It is possible the man in the foreground was the pilot station"s lookout keeping an eye open for vessels indicating their requirement for a pilot in the days before shore-to-shore radio.

The building in the background was the covered walkway taking passengers from the railway station to the river steamers. The chimney may have belonged to the former Glebe sugar refinery.

Returning to the archive, its wide range of subject matter includes information about the pilots and their stations and cutters, launches and trials, activities during wartime and overseas secondments when Clyde traffic diminished.