Building record MAB40382 - FERRYDEN

Former fishing village of Ferryden depicted on historic OS maps.

Former fishing village of Ferryden depicted on historic OS maps. On the 1st edition map the buildings depicted include three schools, the Free Church (NO75NW0038), Post Office and smithy. There had been only slight expansion by the time of the OS 2nd edition map. The easternmost school is no longer annotated on the 2nd edition, the eastern of the two remaining now annotated as the Infants' School. The Templars' Hall has been added to the east, a Mission Hall is shown in the middle of the village and a police station at the west end. Once a mjaor fishing port the village owes its existence to an ancient river crossing, with a ferry mentioned in 1178. The ferry operated until the first bridge was constructed in 1795, although a new ferry service started in the late 19th century and continued until the mid 20th century. Ferryden began to grow in the early 1700s with the rise in fishing, helped by the deep anchorage and abundance of mussel bait in the tidal basin. The fishing fleet continued to grow throughout the 18th and much of the 19th century with the growth of herring fishing alongside that of line fishing for white fish. The population significantly increased in the first three quarters of the 19th century. By the early 1920s the fishing fleet was in significant decline and fishing had almost finished by 1930. Documentary sources indicate some houses built of Scurdy Roack from a quarry to the east (NO75NW0795) and some terraces from the Golden Quarry at the Riverside near River Street.

WHITE, H, 2012, MONTROSE BASIN SURVEY 1999-2012, MBS009, 109 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2127.

Record last edited

May 24 2021 12:03PM