The settlement of Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland, with a population of around 20,000 people. It neighbours the town of Greenock and was once a burgh in the former county of Renfrew. The town features a number of historic buildings in its centre, which was once a relatively rural town, until the Port Glasgow expanded up the steep hills around it, founding the Park Farm, Boglestone and Devol. This newer part of Port Glasgow is known locally as upper Port Glasgow.
The town was previously known as Newark, which was a slang term that stuck, which referred to the new-work that was being done on Newark Castle, but in 1667, the town council of Glasgow bought land in Newark for the construction of a harbour and breakwater from which trade could be transported up-river to supply the city. Newark then became Newport Glasgow, and later Port Glasgow.