Greenock
The coast of Greenock formed a broad bay with three smaller indentations: the Bay of Quick was known as a safe anchorage as far back as 1164. To its east, a sandy bay ran eastwards from the Old Kirk and the West Burn as far as Wester Greenock castle. The fishing village of Greenock developed along this bay, and around 1635 Sir John Schaw had a jetty built into the bay which became known as Sir John's Bay. In that year he obtained a Charter raising Greenock to a Burgh of Barony with rights to a weekly market. Further east, Saint Laurence Bay curved round past the Crawfurd Barony of Easter Greenock to Garvel (or Gravel) Point. When a pier (or dyke) was built making the bay an important harbour, the fishing village of Cartsburn gained the alternative name of Crawfurdsdyke. In 1642 it was made into the Burgh of Barony of Crawfurdsdyke, and part of the ill-fated Darien Scheme set out from this pier in 1697. This town was later renamed Cartsdyke.
Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway
Rothesay assumed dominance as the resort destination of choice, and many businesspeople in Glasgow kept residences there, travelling weekly to their places of business in the City. Promoters saw that a railway link to Wemyss Bay would be ideal, as the pier they lay directly opposite Rothesay, and on 17 July 1862 they obtained Parliamentary authorisation for the Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway. Their line was to form a junction with the Greenock line a short distance west of Port Glasgow station; it would then climb and run round to the south of Greenock, then following the valley of the Spango Burn to a station on the hillside above Inverkip, then turning south to a pier station at Wemyss Bay. Lands were acquired speculatively at Upper Greenock for industrial development.