THE Broomielaw was all abuzz in 1880 as these steamboats jostled for space at the quay.

And just as some folk today double park their cars, that's exactly what these steamboat Willies would do, rafting up beside other boats.

With open decks and no wheelhouse, the man at the helm - you can see him silhouetted against the white funnel - had to peer around the side of the smoke stack to see where he was going. And competition between the captains was fierce, with each one trying to outdo his rivals in speed and number of passengers carried.

The tower you see in the distance belonged the Sailors' Home. Atop it was a 'time ball', the drop of which, for a few short years in the mid 1800s, signalled a mad flurry of comings and goings on the Clyde.