Ferryden Heritage Trail - Angus Council

Ferryden
Heritage
Trail
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Ferryden is a picturesque former fishing village
situated on the south side of the river South
Esk, near where the river meets the North Sea.
Ferryden was once a major fishing port but it
owes its existence to an ancient river crossing.
The earliest mention of the ferry is in 1178 when
King William the Lion granted the ferryboat of
Montrose and its lands to Arbroath Abbey. The
ferry operated for hundreds of years until the
first bridge across the river was completed in
1795. A new ferry service was re-started in the
late nineteenth century and continued until the
middle of the twentieth century.
Angus Heritage Trails
Acknowledgements:
Fiona Scharlau - text
Kate Reid - design
We are very grateful to Angus Council, Cultural Services
for assistance with the design and printing of this leaflet.
2nd Edition - 2012
Ferryden and Craig
Community Council
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As you enter Ferryden from
the main road, continue
along Burnside Place. You have the
option to turn up Craig Road and
go into the King George V Playing
Fields to view the World War One
and Two War Memorials to the
fallen military men of Craig parish.
Return to the main road and
continue along it to the right.
On the left hand side of the main road are
the Port of Montrose buildings, reclaimed
from the Inch Burn in the 1970’s when it was
filled in to make a deep South Quay for the
harbour.
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As you walk along the length of the village
you may notice that the houses form an
architectural timeline, regressing from 1960’s
bungalows to Edwardian villas to Victorian
tenements and cottages and then onwards to the
18th century portion of the village.
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At the end of West Terrace, turn right to the
Parish Church, topped by a dove weather vane
holding an olive leaf letting Noah know that the flood
had subsided. The Parish Church was originally built
as the breakaway Free Church, the original parish
church being located at Craig village. The present
Parish Church is not generally open for visitors but it
does contain a triptych with the names of the World
War Two soldiers from Ferryden parish and a World
War One memorial plaque. Ferryden’s burial ground
has always been on Rossie Island,
beside the ruins of the old medieval
chapel. Retrace your steps to the
bottom of the lane and turn right onto
Southesk Place and continue until you
come to Usan Road on your right,
once the outlet for a stream now
under a culvert. Turn right up the hill
past the old boat shed and then turn
left into Hillview Crescent.
Church St. West Terrace
The village of Ferryden began to grow in the
early 1700’s when fishermen colonists from
the north east coast were encouraged to settle
by Patrick Scott of Rossie. Many fishermen are
believed to have come from the Banff area. They
brought names such as West and Coull coupled
with local Perts, Patons, Findlays and Mearns,
names still much in evidence in the village.
The new inhabitants were drawn by the deep
anchorage and the abundance of mussel bait in
the tidal basin.
The growth of the village really took off in the
first three quarters of the 19th century. There
was a three fold growth in population during
that period from 190 people to 679.
The Ferryden fishing fleet continued to grow
throughout the 18th and much of the 19th
centuries. The growth of herring fishing
continued alongside that of line fishing for white
fish such as haddock and ling. The establishment
of Joseph Johnston and Sons as salmon fishers
boosted the trade as the company had wider
interests such as exporting pickled cod, smoked
haddocks and herrings to London and other
places. However, with such a dependence on
one trade, Ferryden’s fortunes ebbed and flowed
with that of fishing in general. Between the
census of 1881 and that of 1901, the population
increase showed a marked slowdown. The
1880’s were an important turning point in the
history of herring fishing. By the early 1920’s the
Ferryden fleet was in serious decline. Like many
other small fishing ports, it had been unable to reestablish
its market after the end of World War
One. Fishing from Ferryden had all but ceased by
1930, with the exception of a handful of boats.

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On this corner,
directly in front
of you, is Ferryden’s
former primary school
and its school house,
nestling behind it.
Continue along
Hillview Crescent on
the left hand side and
follow the path to the
stairs and turn right.
These take you onto
Rossie Terrace, leading
up from the car park at
Rossie Square. Rossie
Square is named after
the former estate of
which the village
was part. Turn right
here and proceed
up the hill. You are
on the high road,
Scurdieness Lighthouse
leading ultimately to
Scurdieness lighthouse
and the mouth of the river. From here you can enjoy
superb views over the harbour to the Basin beyond.
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At a gap in the road on your right, a signpost
indicates the location of the small United Free
Church. Back on Rossie Terrace, continue along the
road as it becomes Beacon Terrace.
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On the right there is a small fragment of a
building. This is all that remains of the old
Infant School, founded in 1835 by the local laird’s
daughter for village children up to the age of 5. It
was Scotland’s first nursery school and still in use
until the 1960s.
The ferry and Ferryden from the Montrose shore c1905
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On the wall is a plaque of the Ferryden
Fishwives by Montrose artist William Lamb,
who drew many of his models from the Ferryden
fishing community. The remnant of the old infant
school has now been topped by a new weather
vane featuring a salmon. Continue along Beacon
Terrace, past the colourful
houses, until you are out
of the village and on the
lighthouse road. This road is
not suitable for cars.
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A little way along the
path is a picnic table,
affording superb views of the
estuary, out to sea and inland
over the harbour. Seals, birds
and occasionally dolphins
can be seen from here.
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You can carry on down
this road to Scurdieness
lighthouse, designed by Robert
Stevenson, first lit in 1 March
1870, and then onto the deserted
fishing village of Usan. This walk
would take over an hour and
requires you to wear appropriate
footwear. Alternatively, go as far
as the lighthouse and explore the
rock pools.
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The gable ends of Ferryden
Along the way you will
note pill boxes from
World War Two home defence
schemes and the lime washed
pillars that were early navigation
beacons.
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Continue back towards the village and on
your right, just past some black huts, there is
staircase that descends towards Victoria Square. Use
this to reach River Street, fronting the beach.
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At the junction
of River Street
and Victoria Square
you will notice some
outbuildings, a few of
the last survivors of
Ferryden’s huts, wash
houses and bark boilers.
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Turn left and
walk along King
Street. The houses here
sit with their gable ends
to the sea. All of their
former inhabitants were
fishermen or connected
to the sea. These houses are believed to be
the original houses of the 18th century north
east fishermen immigrants, and are amongst
the oldest in the village.
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Just before King Street turns a
corner and becomes William Street,
one house on the left still has the housing for
the village barometer, so vital for predicting
the weather.
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River Street
William Street itself is an attractive
street, where a number of houses
have retained the outside stairs, which
allowed access to the upper flats. At the end
of William Street is Rossie Square, part of
which was demolished to create a car park.
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As you reach the junction with Brownlow
Place, you pass a gap between the Post
Office and the row of old sheds.
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Along Brownlow Place is the Esk Hotel,
Ferryden’s oldest surviving drinking
establishment. At one time the village had a problem
with the over consumption of alcohol until the
Reverend Brewster inspired a Temperance fervour
in the villagers.
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Opposite the Church Hall is the Memorial
Garden and Picture Board, opened in April
2001 and landscaped to provide a pleasant outlook
over the river and harbour.
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This was the site where the ferryboat
landed. Mill workers used to take the
ferry four times a day as many of them came home
for their dinner. From here you can see the pier,
with the 1795 pier clearly still visible below the
bus shelter. This area was once full of the fishing
vessels. We have come full circle and our tour of this
charming village concludes here.
“Menim” George West and
his wife “Meg Nicoll” baiting
the line. George was coxswain
of the lifeboat at one time.