Town Pier

The Town Pier, once known as North Queensferry Pier and then Signal Pier, has an interesting history.

In 1809, the pier was in need of an upgrade and the proprietors were legally compelled to sell their rights to the government for the sum of £10,000. Engineer John Rennie was commissioned to complete a raft of local improvements, including the Town Pier which became the main landing place for ferries.

In 1818, the artist JMW Turner visited North Queensferry and is likely to have arrived at Rennie’s Town Pier by ferry. The pier is depicted in a double page sketch which includes the Albert Hotel (then Mitchell’s Inn), the octagonal lighthouse, a boat unloading and the fortified island of Inchgarvie. The sketch can be viewed on the Tate website.

When the steamship the Queen Margaret was launched in 1821, a longer pier was needed, and Thomas Telford completed the work in 1834.

In 1842, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert alighted at Town Pier on their way to Balmoral. Local boats were decorated to welcome them, and the nearby hotel was renamed in their honour.

Having come to the attention of eminent engineers, artists and royalty, the Town Pier was used by ferries right up until 1920. Ferries then used the Railway Pier until 1964 when the Forth Road Bridge opened.

The anchor on the pier features in many photographs. It was discovered in the Firth of Forth and dates back to the time the rail bridge was under construction. Carefully restored by Network Rail, the anchor was donated to the North Queensferry Heritage Trust which installed it on the pier as a symbol of hope and safe arrival to welcome all who travel this way.

Photo credit: North Queensferry Heritage Trust