From January till April 2025, members of the Dumbarton Community worked with stained glass artist Eilidh Mackenzie to create a stained glass panel that tells social stories from Denny’s Shipyard. The group worked together at all stages of the process, from research, to design, to glass cutting, painting, screen printing, leading and cleaning. Over the 11 week long programme the community members learned new skills and gained more insight into the innovative and community focussed work place that was Denny’s Shipyard. Their experience during the creation process is documented in the film below.

Each of the community members contributed at least one panel to the final stained-glass artwork. Below are explanations of why they chose to include the designs they created.

James says:

“I wanted to include the little ship Skylark because, although she’s not a Denny ship, she represents unity, solidarity and hope. She brings people together showing love and compassion and provides a community for people that maybe wouldn’t have had one otherwise. The Denny Brother’s understood the value of community and I think the Skylark IX Recovery Trust using the Denny Tank space for workshops is a nice connection to that past social history of looking after their employees and the wider Dumbarton community.”

Janet says:

“I wanted to showcase one of the images in the Arkivz. It is a cyanotype print, an early form of photocopying. It is a humorous look at a Denny’s draughtsman sitting at his desk in the early 1900s. He’s working his fingers to the bone due to a skeleton staff! I have felt so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn new skills that I thought I never had. I’ve enjoyed meeting this group of talented people and gaining new experiences working with stained glass.”

“I chose to include the Cutty Sark because it appealed to me as something that Dumbarton should be proud of. At one time it was the fastest clipper ship in the world and it was built here! It’s amazing that it still exists today, and people can go and see this amazing Clipper ship in its new home in Greenwich. It is as dynamic today as it was when it was built. I also was interested to learn about the link to Robert Burn’s poem Tam O’Shanter and the witch ‘Nannie’ dressed only in a Cutty Sark.”

Jaquie says:

“My pen and ink image is based on a rowing boat model on display at the Denny Ship Model Experimental Tank Museum. I chose the design after recently watching the building of two new canoes by the Skylark community using the Museum’s woodwork department. The canoes will be used to build the community spirit that The Denny Shipyard was renowned for. They are starting rowing groups on Loch Lomond soon.”

Leah Says:

“Fascinated by the use of symbolism within stained glass I used it in my design. Every detail represents links to Denny’s or my life. Levengrove Park, was a gift for the community from Denny’s. It is viewed across the river with Dumbarton Rock in the background. The bandstand was included to highlight the importance of music and dancing throughout the Arkivz. The goal symbolises my love of football and the matches captured in the Museum records. The swimmer represents my great Uncle Sam Havern who I discovered was an engineer at Denny’s. The runners, dog and rooster were illustrations lifted from the Arkivz and represent the eclectic mix of races, sports and activities Denny’s staff participated in.”

“Within my panels I included imagery that resonated with me. Attending the panto at the Denny Civic Theatre annually, it provided the concept of the stage to symbolise the amateur dramatics the shipyard workers were involved in. Stage curtains frame the scene featuring drawings of a horse and dancers from the Arkivz. The fiddler is from one of the many photos featuring music and dancing whilst the onlooking audience wear party hats, a common sight in photos of Denny social events. The cat from the front of the Cutty Sark, a Dumbarton legacy, sits in the centre of the stage curtains. This represents my many years living in London, school trips to the Cutty Sark and my cat Ace.”

Lorna Says:

“I wanted to include the glass keg that transferred “the Mother” water from the Denny Tank in Dumbarton to other experimental tanks as a good blessing. I thought it was an interesting fact that Dumbarton is famous all around the world for its wonderful Denny Testing Tank. I was interested to learned that an experimental tank built in Nagasaki, Japan in 1908 was a duplicate of the Denny Tank and some of its components were built in Glasgow!”

Lynn says:

“I wanted to include a propellor as this was something that Denny Brothers designed and constructed. There is a logo in the Museum with the propellor that says “Engage, Engineer, Experiment” which I think captures the ethos of the Denny Brothers. They engaged and rewarded their employees and they were world renown for their engineering and experimentation. I think making this stained glass has been an excellent experience working with others toward a common goal. It has been highly rewarding”

Moira says:

“My grandpa worked in Denny’s shipyard, so I thought it was important to celebrate the workers and all they achieved. He always wore a shirt, tie and a bunnet. I loved his bunnet and all it represented. It was a sense of identity and belonging in the wider community. I’ve been fascinated in all the techniques we’ve been able to try while completing this stained glass artwork. Its been an extremely enjoyable experience in a nice relaxed atmosphere and with a learned and supportive tutor.”

Sean H Says:

“Trams were a part of the Denny history. They are a bit different from the obvious things you think about belonging in a shipyard. The tramlines outside the Museum are still visible today. I’ve enjoyed the nice and chilled atmosphere in the stained-glass workshops.”

Sean M says:

“I chose to include anchors in the corners of the panels because they represent stability and a safe harbour, which I think is important when thinking about being part of the community. I am enjoying being part of this project. It’s helping me learn that I am capable of trying new things and giving me more confidence in my abilities.”

Stuart says:

“The Napier Engine, that now lives outside the Denny Tank Museum, was in Dumbarton town centre for all of my youth. I remember it being painted blue. I have fond memories of climbing all over it and we even ended up in the water around it! This community project has been good fun”

Tommy says:

“I wanted to represent the speed tests carried out by the Tank staff. The wheel represents the use of horse and cart to transport information. The people at the Denny Tank also used pigeons as a quicker way to relay speed test results from the Clyde back to the Tank. There was a pigeon loft in the shipyard drawing office and on test day four pigeons would be taken on the test. Once the contract speed was achieved the results would be put in metal tubes on the pigeons’ legs and they flew the results back to the Tank. They used to send the results on two sets of pigeons just in case any of them went for a wander. ”

The central image in the stained glass design is a representation of the Denny Brother’s company crest that includes Dumbarton Rock and the elephant emblem. It was created using sand blasting and pen and ink on the glass. The yellow and white “rays”, along with the black lead are Dumbarton Football Club colours. Football was an integral part of Denny’s Shipyard social calendar and so it was important to the group that it was represented in the stained glass. 

The stained glass also includes panels highlighting some of the hand drawn artwork included in the Arkivz. Often programmes for staff dinners and excursions included beautifully drawn programme covers that represent the art movements of the time.

The group also chose to include a letter written during WWI thanking the Denny staff for the thoughtful care package sent to the front lines. There are many letters in the Arkivz sent in gratitude for the support from home during the war years.

You can find out more about the making of this stained glass artwork and about stained glass artist Eilidh Mackenzie here.