Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | Henry Bell |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 7 April 1767 |
| Died: | 14 March 1830 |
| Bio Notes: | Henry Bell was born at Torphichen Mill, near Linlithgow on 5 April 1760, the fifth son of Patrick Bell, millwright and his wife Margaret Easton. He was apprenticed to a stonemason at the age of thirteen and in 1783 to a millwright. From 1786 he worked in the shipyard of Shaw & Hart at Bo’ness but left after a year to become a pupil of an engineer James Inglis near Motherwell. In 1788 he moved to London to gain experience with the eminent engineer John Rennie. In 1790 he returned back to Glasgow to set up as a wright and builder and the following year, 1791, he formed a partnership with James Paterson as Bell & Paterson, builders. He worked as a builder for the next twenty years. He was enrolled as a burgess in 1797. He married Margaret Young on 23 March 1794 and in 1806 they purchased an area of ground on the road from Helensburgh to Dumbarton just east of Helensburgh. By 1807 they had built Bath’s Inn with hot and cold fresh and seawater baths. Bell was elected provost of Helensburgh in 1807. From then until he stood down in 1811 he was involved with a number of schemes in the town including that to build a town house which was unsuccessful and to provide a public water supply which was successful. About 1810 Bell, assisted by the Glasgow engineer John Thomson began experiments in steam propulsion. He financed this by mortgaging Bath's Inn for £2000. In 1811 he contracted various manufacturers to supply him with the necessary parts to build a steam-driven ship which was named ‘The Comet’ and launched in July or August 1812. It demonstrated the potential of paddle steam propulsion. Bell was not a good businessman and did not have sufficient finances to develop his ideas fully. He was chronically in debt and paranoid about his invention. Many imitators with more capital soon challenged him. However he attempted to expand with services on the Forth, and to the Highlands and London. The ownership of ‘The Comet’ was about to be transferred to a company when she was shipwrecked in the Sound of Jura. ‘Comet II’ was the successor but Bell had no financial interest in this. During the 1820s though in poor health and with chronic financial problems, he promoted services from Glasgow to Inverness via the Caledonian Canal. ‘The Stirling’ which plied the Highland routes foundered in Loch Linnhe in 1828 with loss of life. While he was developing ‘The Comet’ he was also running Bath’s Inn and working as an architect and contractor. He also put forward a scheme for draining part of Loch Lomond and converting Glasgow harbour into an enormous floating dock. By the late 1820s steamships were developed by others and recognised as being successful. Bell was keen to be acknowledged as a pioneer in their development. His chronic financial problems led to his receiving annuities from the Clyde Navigation Trust and later from the Treasury. Bell died after a long illness on 14 November 1830 at the hotel in Helensburgh, survived by his wife. |
Private and Business Addresses
| The following private or business addresses are associated with this : | |||||
| Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | |
 | Glasgow, Scotland | Private/business | 1790 | ||
| Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, Scotland | Private/business | c. 1800 | ||
Buildings and Designs
| This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | |||||||
| Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | |
| 1799 | Carluke Parish Church | Carluke | Lanarkshire | Scotland | ||
| 1806 | Bath Inn with fresh and seawater baths | Helensburgh | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | ||
| 1812 | Dalmonach Works | Bonhill | Dunbartonshire | Reconstruction | ||
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Colvin, Howard | 2008 | A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 | London: YUP. 4th edition | ||
| New DNB | New Dictionary of National Biography | Article by Michael Moss. | |||