The Ferry That Time Forgot: Queen Margaret’s Gift to Travellers

A sweeping view of Scotland’s most iconic bridges, taken from the charming town of South Queensferry—a place where steel, stone, and centuries meet across the Firth of Forth. It is tempting to drift into the story of how these mighty spans were built, but today the real fascination lies not in iron and rivets, but in something far older: the humble ferry that gave the town its name.

The prefix “South” sets it apart from its quieter neighbour, North Queensferry, just across the water. Both owe their names to a royal venture dating back to the 11th century, when Queen Margaret, wife of King Malcolm Canmore, established a ferry service to aid weary travellers and pious pilgrims on their way to St Andrews¹South Queensferry. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Queensferry.

Margaret, famed for her devotion, was not content to let faith remain a private matter. According to Turgot of Durham, she built lodgings on either shore, sanctuaries where the poor and travel-worn could rest and recover. Her attendants were charged with offering food, warmth, and comfort to all who passed, and her ships carried pilgrims across the Forth without charge—a rare act of generosity in any century.

For nearly nine hundred years, the ferry endured, weathering storms, monarchs, and the slow crawl of progress. But in 1964, when the great Road Bridge opened, the ancient service made its final crossing. By then, fares were very much in fashion, for the spirit of free passage had long since sailed into history.

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  South Queensferry. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Queensferry