Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Helensburgh

HELENSBURGH, a town and favourite watering-place of Dumbartonshire, Scotland, is situated at the mouth of the Gareloch, a branch of the Firth of Clyde, opposite Greenock, which is about 4 miles distant. It is 24 miles N.W. of Glasgow by railway. In 1776 the site of the town was advertised for feuing, and in 1802 Helensburgh, named after Lady Helen, wife of Sir James Colquhoun, the superior of the soil, was erected into a burgh of barony, under a provost and council. The boundaries have since been enlarged. The town is pleasantly situated on a gentle slope, the streets mostly intersecting each other at right angles, while many of the houses are surrounded by gardens,—peculiarities that produce an agreeable regularity and openness. A handsome burgh hall was erected in 1879. Near the town is a hospital, and within its boundaries a public park. Convenient as headquarters for visiting the whole district of the Clyde, and connected with Glasgow by both rail and steamer, Helensburgh is much frequented in summer. The population in 1871 was 6231; it is now (1880) estimated at fully 10,000.