1957

NS2055 : Glen Sannox at Fairlie Pier, Summer 1957

taken 67 years ago, near to Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland

Glen Sannox at Fairlie Pier, Summer 1957
Glen Sannox at Fairlie Pier, Summer 1957
This is the Glen Sannox clyde steamer docked at Fairlie pier south of Largs. The wooden pier is no longer there though its remains can be seen on satellite photos.

The Glen Sannox was the first ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off), ferry of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company and this was her first season on the Fairlie/Arran run. She also went to Millport on Cumbrae and lots of other Clyde routes. Before the Glen Sannox cars were run on to the ferry using two dodgy planks of wood. Trains ran from both Kilmarnock and Glasgow to connect up with each sailing of the Arran ferry. The number of passengers using this link often required two trains for each sailing on each route.The services from Glasgow also frequently split with one section going to Fairlie Pier Station and the other one to Largs.

I don't remember the size of the pier as the last time I was there was 1963, but I am guessing that this photo was taken from another ferry approaching or leaving the pier.All of the people on the pier are staring at something to the south of the pier, presumably the steamer the photographer was on. There appears to be propeller wash from the second ferry in the right foreground.

There is now a modern jetty just to the north of this position which is not extant. It is also interesting that despite it being high summer, two of the four men on the pier are wearing flat caps and long overcoats. The small green van on the pier appears to have the word SIMPLEX on the side. Already loaded onto the Glen Sannox (or just about to come off) is a red railway freight box car with British Railways in yellow lettering on the side. There is a set of chain slings attached to the box-car indicating trans-shipment by crane at some point. The only recognizable cargo is a load of gas canisters on the trailer on the pier.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Nigel Mykura and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Ships
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Fairlie Pier [18] · Cumbrae [8] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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NS2055, 160 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Nigel Mykura   (more nearby)
Date Taken
3 August 1957   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 20 June, 2010
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 206 559 [100m precision]
WGS84: 55:45.7907N 4:51.6567W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 206 558
View Direction
NORTH (about 0 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph · First in 5 Years (TPoint) (about)
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