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| ...North Queensferry |
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he small town of North Queensferry lies between the rail and road bridges
which span the Firth of Forth. In the 11th century Queen Margaret gave
the townspeople the exclusive rights of ferrying, and her son David I founded
a regular ferry service in 1129. The ferries were originally operated by the
church, under the Abbot of
Dunfermline
but this eventually became too tedious a task so in 1275 the service was let
to the local seamen.
orth Queensferry was also known for its inns, for in this small town in 1800
were thirteen of them. They were much sought after by the people who had just
come off the ferries, or were trying to pluck up the courage to go on their
first sea crossing.
There are some very interesting little houses in the area together with part of a gabled-end wall in the churchyard, built under the patronage of James I of Scotland and dedicated (appropriately) to Saint James of Compostela, the patron siant of travellers.
lthough this town grew through its ferry service, the opening of the Forth
Railway Bridge in 1890 sounded the end of ferries crossing the Forth. Ferries
continued to carry cars but the opening of the Forth Road Bridge in 1964 was
truly the final blow.
Today North Queensferry is a pleasantly quiet and relatively traffic-free place, although its' old ferry facilities now attract speedboat and sailing enthusiasts. |
| Last Updated April 2000 |
| © Scottish Towns |