South Queensferry

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Firth of Forth Bridges, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The “Forth Rail Bridge” on the right, was opened in 1890 and is a UNESCO Wold Heritage site. The “Forth Road Bridge” the central bridge was opened 1963 and the newest bridge is “Queensferry Crossing” which opened in 2017 and is on the far left.

South Queensferry Lighthouse, Hawes Pier, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

A category B listed building since 1971, it was built by the Scottish civil engineer John Rennie in 1812, probably in collaboration with Robert Stevenson of Bell Rock fame, and is contemporary with the pier itself (also a Rennie work). It was a beacon to guide the ferry which operated between Hawes Pier and North Queensferry before being made redundant by the construction of the Forth Road Bridge in 1964.

Rusted Mooring Ring, Hawes Pier, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Hawes Pier, Firth of Forth, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The pier was also constructed by Rennie in 1812.

Old Roadside Marker, Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Former ‘Seals Craig Hotel‘, 23 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Doors of South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Brass Plate, Vennel Kirk, The Vennel, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The church has now been converted to a private residence.

Masonic Lodge & South Queensferry Mosaic Mural, The Vennel & Hawthorn Bank, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The first school in Queensferry was at the top end of the churchyard of the Old Parish Church in the Vennel. In July 1671, it was decided to build a school using local stonework, at the south end of churchyard. The school was ready for occupancy in 1672 and still stands today as the Masonic Lodge.

Residential Block, Brewery Close, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Jubliee Clock Tower from The Loan, South Queensferry, West Lothian. Scotland UK

“Loan House”, 10 The Loan, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Category B Listed Building
The property fell vacant in the later 20th century and was gutted by fire in 1987. In 1990 the building was restored, with the addition of a north wing, by Douglas Abrahams and Partners for use as offices. As a result of the fire the original interior was lost and the interior of the building had to be rebuilt. Now Scottish Motor Trading Association Offices.

“Priory Lodge”, 8 The Loan, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Category c Listed Building – 19th century gothic. This house is the only example of this style in the town centre.

Plewlands House, Cnr The Loan & Hopetoun Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Plate – The National Trust for Scotland

Door – Marriage Lintel

The inscription above the door reads :-

[SPES MEA CHRISTUS, ‘Christ is my Hope’, and an anchor which indicates the occupation of the owner of the house. SW-AP were carved in relief with the year of the building, 1641.]

C.1641 – See its history here!

Priory Church of St Mary of Mount Carmel, Cnr Rose Lane & Hopetoun Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Now a grade A listed building, the Priory Church is the only Carmelite foundation in the British Isles still in use for regular worship, out of the 12 founded in Scotland and the 39 in England.
George, the Laird of Dundas, invited the Carmelite Friars to come and settle in Queensferry around 1330. They were in temporary buildings until a century later. Architectural style suggests this was built no earlier than 1457.

Door Knocker, Priory Church of St Mary of Mount Carmel, Cnr Rose Lane & Hopetoun Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

“1884”, Rose Lane, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Unfortunately I have not been able to find any information to identify this symbol. It does look like what may have been an early Masonic Symbol.

Bellstane Bird, Bellstane, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Bellstane takes its name from the ringing of the bell which was rung to tell people the market was about to start. The actual bell is now in Queensferry museum.

Harbour Lane, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Bay View, Gote Lane, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Forth Rail Bridge, Firth of Forth, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Slipway, Gote Lane, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Dedication Plaque, Rosebery Hall, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Memorial to John Reid, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Inscription:- In Memory Of
John Reid
Provost of the Burgh
Of South Queensferry
1884 – 1899

Waterside Residential, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

“Black Castle”, 43 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Category “A” Listed Building c. 1626. In 1626 mariner and explorer Willam Lowrie built the house for him and his wife Marion Speddie to live in and it is believed that the home would have originally been sandstone in colour. The name was most likely adopted during the “Witch Hunts” of the 1640s.

Scrolls, “Black Castle”, 43 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The upper floor of Black Castle has 3 sets of windows, each with carvings and scroll details. The eaves above two of the dormer windows bear the date of construction (1626), along with Lowrie’s and Speddie’s initials. (WL – MS)

See a history surrounding its macabre story.

Old Well Head, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

A site where locals were able to draw water

Door Steps, Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Belhaven Sign, Anchor Inn, Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Interior scenes of Hawes Inn, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

“Weihenstephan”, Orocco Pier Hotel, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

ARRIVED AT SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, SCOTLAND

We reached our destination of The Hawes Inn under the famous Forth Rail Bridge, late afternoon and immediately went walking about. We spent a couple of hours here back in 2016 on a previous trip and were keen to take a better look over the place.

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 The Hawes Inn, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Formerly known as the Newhalls Inn, this is a category ‘B’ listed building with several additions and alterations over the years. It was certainly renamed the ‘Hawes Inn’ by 1886. In fact evidence shows that in the book “Duncan’s Itinerary of Scotland 1820” it is listed as “The Hawes Inn” then.
The Hawes Inn, 7 Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, is a late 17th century Coaching Inn, with a date stone [Marriage Lintel] on the south east wall which says JS- 1638- BB, taken from the old house, Newhalls (no information on the ‘old house’ as yet). These initials are believed to be merchant John Smith, and his wife Bessie Bathgate. During the eighteenth-century, the inn was used as a change house for stagecoaches using the Newhalls Ferry and the adjacent ‘Hawes Garage’ used to be the stables and coach-house.

Rear of The Hawes Inn, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The Hawes Inn & Firth of Forth Rail Bridge, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Stone Window Frame [1893], The Hawes Inn, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Pub Sign, The Hawes Inn, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The Hawes Inn at Night, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The Hawes Inn Sign at Night, Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

      Firth of Forth Rail Bridge, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Construction of the bridge began in 1882 and it was opened on 4 March 1890 by the Duke of Rothesay, the future Edward VII. The bridge carries the Edinburgh–Aberdeen line across the Forth between the villages of South Queensferry and North Queensferry and has a total length of 8,094 feet (2,467 m). When it opened it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world, until 1919 when the Quebec Bridge in Canada was completed. It continues to be the world’s second-longest single cantilever span, with a span of 1,709 feet (521 m). Completed in 1890, it is considered a symbol of Scotland (having been voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in 2016), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. It is sometimes referred to as the Forth Rail Bridge (to distinguish it from the adjacent Forth Road Bridge), although this is not its official name.

Award Plaques, Firth of Forth Rail Bridge, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

 Stone Pylons, Firth of Forth Rail Bridge, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

 Forth Road Bridges, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The bridge in the foreground is the oldest opening in 1964 and the background bridge opened in 2017. It is a 1.7 miles (2.7km) structure & the longest 3-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world. It is also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span. When we passed here in 2016 it was still under construction.

  “Thirty Knots” Newhalls Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

 The Ferry Tap, 36 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

The building was erected in 1683 states the plaque on the wall and was originally a house. When it became an ‘Inn’ is unknown so far. There is no mention of it in the early census information for Queensferry. The first information found is in the 1881 census, when, as a hotel, it was named the ‘Prince of Wales’ until pre March 1890. When the future King Edward VII opened the magnificent Forth Rail Bridge in March 1890, the hotel’s name was changed to ‘The Forth Bridge Hotel’. The Hotel suffered a fire in 1907 and it had to be rebuilt. Jessie Mackenzie was proprietor at this time. There was another fire in 1976, remembered by locals, and it was closed for a while. The new owner, Neil Waterman re-opened it as a public house with the rooms upstairs converted into flats.
Later it was renamed ‘The Forth Bridges’ and with another later name change it became ‘The Ferry Tap’.

Anchor Inn, 10 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

It is believed to be the oldest “Pub” in Queensferry (not being a “hotel”), and is definitely the smallest ‘pub’ in Queensferry, a traditional village pub.

 “Black Castle”, 43 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Category “A” Listed Building c. 1626. In 1626 mariner and explorer Willam Lowrie built the house for him and his wife Marion Speddie to live in and it is believed that the home would have originally been sandstone in colour. The name was most likely adopted during the “Witch Hunts” of the 1640s.

See a history surrounding its macabre story.

Old Buildings in East Terrace, Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

East Terrace is a roadway above the Edinburgh Road. The steps seen above lead to it.

Edinburgh Road to Former 'Seals Craig Hotel', 23 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Former 'Seals Craig Hotel', 23 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Doorway of Former 'Seals Craig Hotel', 23 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Category “C” Listed Building. c.1870

Orocco Pier Bar & Restaurant, 17 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

South Queensferry Tollbooth, 19 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

History of this building: The building incorporates The Jubilee Clock Tower & Roseberry Hall.

Stone Steps, Tolbooth, 19 High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Plewlands House, Cnr The Loan & Hopetoun Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

This another property with a history. Unfortunately I did not photography the great Marriage on the doorway but see it here in Google Street View.

History is here:

See also: Image 1 … & … Image 2

Memorial to John Reid, High Street, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

In Memory Of
John Reid
Provost of the Burgh
Of South Queensferry
1884 – 1899

"Craig View", 5 Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK

Old Street Sign, Newhalls Road-Edinburgh Road, South Queensferry, West Lothian, Scotland UK