North Queensferry (Town Pier)

Latitude: 56° 01'N
Longitude: 03° 24'W
Country: Scotland

About North Queensferry (Town Pier)

Designed and built by John Rennie, the eminent Scottish engineer, the Town Quay served the Queensferry Passage, for centuries the busiest ferry route in Scotland. This crossing developed into an important pilgrimage route between Edinburgh and the holy sites of Dunfermline and St Andrews.

The name 'Queensferry' originates from the legacy of Queen Margaret, who crossed the river here in the 11th century.

In 1828 Thomas Telford was commissioned to extend the pier to allow steamboats to land. This was completed in 1834. The opening of the railway from Dunfermline saw the transfer of some ferry traffic to the new Railway Pier, where passengers left the train before sailing to Port Edgar.

Despite the coming of the railway and the opening of the Forth (rail) Bridge in 1890, it was not until 1964 when the Forth Road Bridge opened that the Queensferry Passage Ferry finally stopped running.

The pier is no longer used.

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