Old Photograph North British Railway Station Princes Street Helensburgh Scotland

Old photograph of a horse and carriage and people outside the North British Railway Station on Princes Street in Helensburgh, Scotland. The station was opened in 1858 as the terminus of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway and is located in the centre of the town. The GD&HR was taken over by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway company in 1862, which in turn was absorbed by the North British Railway three years later. The route became part of the London and North Eastern Railway at the 1923 Grouping and then the Scottish Region of British Railways at nationalisation on 1 January 1948.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph King George V In Ballater Scotland

Old photograph of King George V in a kilt in Ballater, Royal Deeside, Scotland. George was born on 3 June 1865 in London, England, the second son of the Prince of Wales. When George was 18 he went into the Royal Navy, but the death of his elder brother in 1892 meant he had to leave a career he enjoyed, as he was now heir to the throne. He married his elder brother's fiancée, Princess Mary of Teck, and they had six children. In 1901, George's father became king and in May 1910, George himself became king. In 1935, the king celebrated his Silver Jubilee, an occasion of great public rejoicing. He died on 20 January 1936 and was succeeded by his son Edward.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Drymen Road Balloch Scotland

Old photograph of a cottage and houses on Drymen Road in Balloch by Loch Lomond, Scotland. The A811 road, based on an 18th century military road, goes from Balloch to Stirling, and the A813 goes from Dumbarton to Balloch. The Glasgow to Loch Lomond cycle path, part of National Cycle Route 7, ends at Balloch. The West Loch Lomond Cycle Path also runs from Balloch. The town was formerly served by two railway stations on the Caledonian and Dunbartonshire Junction Railway: Balloch Central, and Balloch Pier, which closed in 1988 and 1986, respectively. The town now has one railway station opened by British Rail, which is a terminus of the North Clyde electric train service from Glasgow.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Fairy Queen Steamer Loch Eck Scotland

Old photograph of the Fairy Queen Steamer on Loch Eck, North of Dunoon, Scotland. It was in 1878 that the small propellor driven coal fired steamer Fairy Queen appeared on Loch Eck. She was built by the shipbuilders T B Seath and Company of Rutherglen, just south east of Glasgow. After construction, the iron steamer was dismantled at her builders yard, transported in sections to Cowal and then reassembled on the shores of Loch Eck. The dimensions of the diminutive but attractive looking ship were 70 feet in length with a breadth of 12 feet and her tonnage was 33 tons. She was lengthened in 1881 to be 79.5 feet and this increased her tonnage to 43 tons. The Fairy Queen gave the appearance of a private yacht. She had two passenger decks. The exposed promenade deck and the main deck which provided passengers with covered accommodation in bad weather. She sported one small funnel painted red and black with two white and one black rings, the colours of the Glasgow and Inveraray Steam Packet Company. She carried no masts. The Fairy Queen was owned and operated by the Glasgow and Inveraray Steam Packet Company and sailed from Inverchapel, at the southern end of the loch, to just south of Glenbranter at the northern end of the loch. The excursion typically involved travelling by steam train from Glasgow Saint Enoch station early in the morning to piers at Greenock or Gourock then onward by steamer to Dunoon where passengers were met by a utilitarian horse-drawn coach. This would transport the excursionists the 7 mile [12km] road trip to Inverchapel. Passengers would then board the Fairy Queen for the leisurely sailing to the northern end of the loch, near Glenbranter. The powan is a kind of freshwater whitefish endemic to two lochs in Scotland, Loch Lomond and Loch Eck, though it has been successfully introduced in two other sites, Loch Sloy and the Carron Valley Reservoir.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Fishermen Packing Herring Lerwick Shetland Scotland

Old photograph of fishermen packing herring at the harbour in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland. Herring are forage fish which often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast. Herring played a pivotal role in the history of marine fisheries in Scotland and early in the twentieth century their study was fundamental to the evolution of fisheries science. These oily fish also have a long history as an important food fish, and are often salted, smoked, or pickled.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.