William Patterson Shipbuilders
| Private | |
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | Yards taken over by Claughton (Wapping) and Wapping Dock Co. (Great Western Yard) |
| Founded | 1830 |
| Defunct | 1869 |
| Headquarters | River Avon, UK |
|
Key people
|
William Patterson (founder), John Mercer, Jr. (partner), William Patterson, Jr. (son), Isambard Kingdom Brunel |
William Patterson Shipbuilders was a major shipbuilder in Bristol, England during the 19th century and an innovator in ship construction, producing both the SS Great Western and SS Great Britain, fine lined yachts and a small number of warships.
Patterson, the founder, was born in Arbroath, Scotland, in 1795 and worked his way up from London shop seller to shipwright at Rotherhithe, and then foreman at steamship builder William Evans. Here he took charge of the yard for the build of the steam packet Dasher for the Post Office, before moving to Bristol in 1823 to become assistant to William Scott at his ship at Wapping.
When Scott when bankrupt in 1830, Patterson stepped in to take over the yard at East Wapping with partner John Mercer, Jr, as Patterson & Mercer. He also had business in the timber trade and had at least one vessel in operation, the sloop Charles.
Patterson’s first vessel was the steam packet County of Pembroke for the Bristol Channel trade, which may have been in frame when he took over the yard from William Scott. The early constructions were traditional, the smack Dispatch and West Indiaman Edward Colston, but soon he began to produce ground breaking designs, such as the schooner Velox in 1834 built to clipper lines and surprising conservative Bristol shipowners.
The following vessels were a pair of steam packets, the Lady Charlotte in 1834 and the Mountaineer in 1835, both were considered to be finished to a high standard, and lead to an approach by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Thomas Guppy and the Great Western Steamship Company to build a large passenger steamship for the Bristol to New York City route. By this time Mercer had left the business and it was refashioned William Patterson & Son.
...
Wikipedia