Ferryden Montrose

Ferryden is a picturesque village on the south side of the river South Esk. Situated near to where the river meets the North Sea, it looks across to its larger neighbour Montrose, separated by river but linked by the bridge which you can see just beyond the ships on the right.

The village began to grow in the early 1700's when fishermen from the North East of Scotland were encouraged to settle there. The new inhabitants were drawn by the deep anchorage and the abundance of mussel bait in the tidal basin.

Until the middle of the 18th century most fishermen operated in small boats close to shore and by 1785 38 families operated 6 boats. Many of these fishermen found it necessary to supplement their incomes through smuggling wine and other contraband or by joining summer whaling expeditions.

The Ferryden fishing fleet continued to grow throughout the 18th and 19th centuries however by the early 1920's the Ferryden fleet was in serious decline and like many other small fishing ports, it was unable to re-establish its market after the end of World War One. By 1930 Fishing from Ferryden had all but ceased.

Ferryden, and Montrose shipping, were in the doldrums until the late 1960's. In an effort to attract some of the new oil business to Montrose, the Inch Burn was filled in and the South Quay constructed. It has successfully attracted large shipping including the massive Star line and oil support vessels.

The poles in the foreground and to the left of the picture support clothes lines leading to the road which runs in front of the fishermans'cottages ten foot above the water level. The lines are run on a pulley system to allow ease of hanging the washing.