THERE was a saying when the school doors closed behind you in Govan, the shipyard doors opened.

More than any other part of Glasgow, it was at the heart of the shipbuilding industry, with tens of thousands working in the yards.

Today Clydeside has lost nearly all of its industrial heritage, to be replaced by modern apartments, leisure centres and riverside footpaths.

But not in Govan - against all the odds and defying the collapse in the market, the area's skills and sense of pride have ensured the Govan Shipyard is still alive and thriving.

Warship manufacturer BAE Systems, the only shipbuilder left on the Upper Clyde, employs almost 4000 people at Govan and the former Yarrow yard at Scotstoun.

On January 23 a naval destroyer, HMS Dauntless, is due to enter the water from Govan.

Meanwhile, in November Scotstoun saw the launch of HMS Daring. And only recently it had five ships being worked on.

Dauntless and Daring are the first two of six Type 45 destroyers being built for the MoD and there is an order to build sections of two new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers.

The Govan yard's head of communications Charles Thompson said: "There is immense pride in the yard and it is shown especially at launch times.

"We have guys who have been here for 35 to 40 years - they live, eat, breathe and sleep this industry."

It is fitting Govan should keep alive the industry which made it famous.

In the early 1900s, historian Theodore Brotchie, who edited the Govan Press, described it as "one of the great workshops of the world".

He added: "Within its boundaries, it is impossible to get beyond the sound of the hammer. From early morn till late at night, we hear the continuous hum of industry."

On the southern perimeter wall of the yard are murals depicting the shipyard workers of the area, a daily reminder to Govanites of how dominant the industry was.

"The yard stays alive because it specialises in warship building and it has won work from the MoD. Without that it would not be here," Mr Thompson said.

During its "glory days" the population of Govan rose from 9000 in 1864 to 95,000 in 1907 and it became the fifth largest burgh in Scotland.

The main Govan yard was founded on Fairfields Farm in 1864 and started life as Randolph, Elder & Co. Twenty-five years later it became Fairfields, then part of UCS, then Govan Shipbuilders and Kvaerner Govan before being taken over by BAE.

More than 800 vessels have been launched from there including the luxury liners Athenia and Empress of Japan, the paddle steamer Jeanie Deans and, in 1880, the Livadia, the royal yacht of the Tsar of Russia.

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour during World War ll, Winston Churchill ordered the Empress of Japan - then acting as a troop carrier - be renamed the Empress of Scotland.

Further downriver at Linthouse stood the yard of Alexander Stephen & Son. It opened in 1870 and was known for building cargo vessels before closing in 1969.

Just upriver from Fairfields was a yard operated by the famous Belfast-based firm Harland & Wolff which closed in 1963.

Yarrow Shipbuilders was established at Scotstoun in 1907 and was one of the world's leading builders of destroyers until after the Second World War.

Between 1985 and 1999 Yarrows was known as the Marconi Marine yard before being taken over by BAE.

When the bottom fell out of the industry, Govan suffered socially and economically. In truth the heart of the community was ripped out and it is only in recent years that pride has begun to be restored.

Now there are big plans for the area.

The Central Govan Action Plan is a £70million scheme which aims to rebuild the community by creating new streets, houses, businesses and traditional buildings.

Tommy Docherty of the Govan Initiative, a partner in the CGAP, said: "Govan is an old, traditional, strong community. We have ambitious plans and we just have to look at the other side of the river to see what investment can bring." Artists help area rise from the ashes

THE community of Linthouse, to the west of Govan, was devastated in the 1960s by the closure of the Alexander Stephen yard and the opening of the Clyde Tunnel, which effectively split it in two.

Now what was once a bustling industrial centre has reinvented itself - as an artists' colony.

Linthouse Urban Village (LUV for short) was set up to reinvigorate the community and the results have been quite unexpected.

Ingrid Campbell, LUV coordinator, said: "We worked with artists and got some money from Scottish Enterprise to do up 14 of the local shop fronts in a unique style.

"It's all about creating a sense of heart in the Linthouse community. The art fits in with the local environment."

The Linthouse shipyard was the scene of a tragedy in 1883 during the launch of the steam coaster Daphne. It capsized as it slid in to the water, killing 124 of the 200 men who had stayed on board.

In the 1960s comedian Billy Connolly served his apprentice as an electric welder at the yard.