Our people can live an active lifestyle with access to sports and exercise activities 
Renfrewshire Community Plan 2008 - 2017 Sir William Arrol
Home > Services > Leisure and culture > Heritage and local history
Sir William Arrol was a bridge builder from Houston, Renfrewshire. The Forth Rail Bridge, Tay Bridge and Tower Bridge in London are among his most famous constructions. He was born in Houston in 1839. His father was a cotton-spinner who later became a manager at J & P Coats thread manufacturers in Paisley. The family were not well off and William left school at the age of nine to work in a cotton mill in Johnstone.
Factory work was not to William's liking, and at the age of fourteen he started an apprenticeship as a blacksmith with Reids of Paisley. When his apprenticeship was completed, he took the unusual decision to ply his trade in different towns throughout Scotland and England, to gain as varied an experience of his trade as possible.
Factory work was not to William's liking, and at the age of fourteen he started an apprenticeship as a blacksmith with Reids of Paisley. When his apprenticeship was completed, he took the unusual decision to ply his trade in different towns throughout Scotland and England, to gain as varied an experience of his trade as possible.
At the young age of twenty-four, Arrol was appointed foreman in the firm of Laidlaw and Sons, boilermakers of Glasgow. Not content with his rapid rise in his chosen trade, in 1868 Arrol set up in business for himself in Bridgeton, Glasgow, and then in 1871 he founded the Dalmarnock Iron Works in the east end of Glasgow. A noted innovator, Arrol demonstrated this trait in the first major bridges he constructed. With the iron bridge over the Clyde at Bothwell, Arrol tested out his theory by constructing the bridge on land before rolling it into place as a complete structure. Previously, all bridges had been constructed on site. During the construction of his next bridge, the Caledonian Bridge over the Clyde at the Broomielaw, Arrol invented a mechanical driller and a hydraulic riveter. These inventions saved both time and money.
On a stormy night in December 1879 the bridge over the River Tay in Dundee collapsed, sending a train crashing into the water below and killing 75 people. This disaster shocked the nation. The bridge had been built by Sir Thomas Bouch, and opened only 19 months earlier. (For more information on the Tay Bridge disaster see Dundee City Libraries). Arrol built the replacement bridge, which opened in 1887.
Back to top
Sir Thomas Bouch had been working on plans for a bridge over the Forth, and his plans were now scrapped. William Arrol stepped in and built it instead. It opened in 1890. At the opening of the Forth Bridge, the Prince of Wales announced that Queen Victoria intended to make William Arrol a knight.
Sir William Arrol's most famous achievement was possibly the building of London's internationally recognised landmark, Tower Bridge, which opened in 1894.
The Tay Bridge, the Forth Bridge and Tower Bridge all still stand today.
Back to top
In 1895 Arrol was elected Member of Parliament for South Ayrshire as a Liberal Unionist and served for ten years. He died in 1913 and is buried in Woodside Cemetery, Paisley.
If you are a Renfrewshire library member you can use this link straight to William Arrol's entry in The Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford DNB). Just enter the word 'renfrew' and then your library ticket number. Most UK libraries subscribe to DNB - check if yours is one of them.
For more information on Renfrewshire's famous people, contact the Local Studies Library:
- email: locstuds.els@renfrewshire.gov.uk
- phone: 0141 889 2360
- fax: 0141 887 6468
- write to:
Reference and Local Studies Library
Central Library
68 High Street
Paisley
PA1 2BB
Back to top
