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The town of Govan stands on the south bank of the River Clyde some 2.5 miles west of the centre of Glasgow. It looks across the Clyde to the mouth of the River Kelvin and to the redevelopment taking place in Partick.
There is another significant visitor attraction in Govan that has roots reaching much further into the past. Go back a millennium and a half and Govan lay within the Brittonic kingdom of Strathclyde, ruled from Dumbarton, downstream and on the far side of the River Clyde. According to folklore there was a King of Strathclyde in the 600s called Constantine who founded a monastery in Govan. By around 700 the monastery had apparently disappeared, but there was a very early church in Govan, dedicated to St Constantine. Presumably King Constantine's support of the monastery did not go unnoticed or unrewarded and his sainthood was the result.
This early church has a history and a physical presence which can be traced through a long series of buildings on the same, or nearly the same, site right up to a church built here in 1888. This is now known as Govan Old Church and it is home to the magnificent Govan Stones, one of the best collections of early medieval sculpted stones in Scotland. The stones on view include an amazing sarcophagus thought to have been a receptacle for the relics of St Constantine. It is worth travelling a long way to see the Govan Stones: and their presence places Govan very firmly on the "must visit" list of anyone with an interest in Scotland's early history.
A wander around Govan throws up other points of interest and curiosity. The most impressive building is in many ways the Pearce Institute, which could easily be mistaken for a grand town hall. It was actually built in 1896 as a working men's club. It was paid for by Lady Dinah Pearce in memory of her late husband, Sir William Pearce. Today it is home to a range of community groups and social economy organisations seeking to meet the needs of the people of Govan. To bring the story full circle, Sir William, whose statue stands on the opposite side of Govan Road near the oddly castle-like Brechins Public Bar, made his money as the man who built up the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company during its heyday.