James Reid Leitch

James Reid Leitch, CEng, MIMechE, was the Principal (rector) of the James Watt Memorial College, for many years, and supervised the construction of the new James Watt College which is in use today. The James Watt Memorial College on the corner of William Street and Dalrymple Street was officially opened as the Watt Memorial Engineering and Navigation School on 1 June 1908.

The building was constructed near the site of James Watt's birthplace (which was on the other side of William Street) and was built with funds donated by another famous Scot, Andrew Carnegie, who performed the opening ceremony, unveiling a statue of James Watt that stands prominently in the angle formed at the corner tower.

David Barclay of Glasgow designed the original red sandstone building in a heavily ornamented Scottish baronial style, The corner is marked by an L-plan tower, the wing to William Street being capped by a crow step gable while the north wing has a conical roofed tower above a balustrade. The Dalrymple Street facade faces north out onto the main A8 road to Glasgow and is capped by a steep sloping roof up to an iron balustrade which protects a flat roof originally used to allow navigation students to take observations of the sun.

James R. Leitch started his career as a lecturer at the Stow College of Engineering, before taking the position of depute rector of the Reid Kerr College. The college relocated to its present Finnart Street site, near Greenock West railway station, in 1973, the eight-story main teaching block (by Boissevain and Osmond) dominating the area.

Being offered the position of Rector, at the James Memorial College, he supervised the construction and expansion into the new Finnart Street site.

The James Watt College has a long and distinguished history of providing education for maritime students.

James Watt (19 January 1736 – 19 August 1819) was a Scottish mathematician and brilliant engineer. He did not invent the first steam engine, but he did modify it to work better. There were other patented steam engines (such as the Savery and Newcomen steam engines) in use by the time Watt started his work on them. His major contribution is in developing the modern form of the steam engine. The Watt steam engine is credited for driving the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.

James Watts son, John Watt (b.1765) married Agnes Leitch (b.1762), relating them as in-law cousins.

Today, most people honour him by naming a unit of power, the "Watt", after him.

James Reid Leitch, CEng, MIMechE, was the Principal (rector) of the James Watt Memorial College, for many years, and supervised the construction of the new James Watt College which is in use today. The James Watt Memorial College on the corner of William Street and Dalrymple Street was officially opened as the Watt Memorial Engineering and Navigation School on 1 June 1908.

The building was constructed near the site of James Watt's birthplace (which was on the other side of William Street) and was built with funds donated by another famous Scot, Andrew Carnegie, who performed the opening ceremony, unveiling a statue of James Watt that stands prominently in the angle formed at the corner tower.

David Barclay of Glasgow designed the original red sandstone building in a heavily ornamented Scottish baronial style, The corner is marked by an L-plan tower, the wing to William Street being capped by a crow step gable while the north wing has a conical roofed tower above a balustrade. The Dalrymple Street facade faces north out onto the main A8 road to Glasgow and is capped by a steep sloping roof up to an iron balustrade which protects a flat roof originally used to allow navigation students to take observations of the sun.

James R. Leitch started his career as a lecturer at the Stow College of Engineering, before taking the position of depute rector of the Reid Kerr College. The college relocated to its present Finnart Street site, near Greenock West railway station, in 1973, the eight-story main teaching block (by Boissevain and Osmond) dominating the area.

Being offered the position of Rector, at the James Memorial College, he supervised the construction and expansion into the new Finnart Street site.

The James Watt College has a long and distinguished history of providing education for maritime students.

James Watt (19 January 1736 – 19 August 1819) was a Scottish mathematician and brilliant engineer. He did not invent the first steam engine, but he did modify it to work better. There were other patented steam engines (such as the Savery and Newcomen steam engines) in use by the time Watt started his work on them. His major contribution is in developing the modern form of the steam engine. The Watt steam engine is credited for driving the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.

James Watts son, John Watt (b.1765) married Agnes Leitch (b.1762), relating them as in-law cousins.

Today, most people honour him by naming a unit of power, the "Watt", after him.