A 19TH CENTURY boat has returned to its original home near Glasgow ­following a £300,000 renovation.

The Vulcan, the world's first fully iron-hulled boat, was officially opened to the public at Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge on Thursday.

It has had an extensive refit and taken up a new role as an interactive educational exhibit.

The vessel, named after the Roman god of forge and fire, is 63 feet long and was considered revolutionary when it was launched on the Monkland canal in 1819, inspiring the development of iron riveted ships and transforming Scotland's shipbuilding industry.

The reopening coincides with the formal announcement of the scheduling of the remaining sections of the Monkland Canal by Historic Scotland.

It acknowledges the Monkland Canal as a monument of national importance.