Life before the Tay Road Bridge: Journeys across the river aboard the Fifies
The Scotscraig crosses the River Tay.
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Almost 55 years ago the death knell rang on the Tay Ferries, or The Fifies as they were more affectionately known, which transported Dundonians across the Tay for 145 years.
Locals used the ferry boats as one of the main modes of transport to escape to the countryside of Fife with crossings scheduled up to 11 times a day. Before the regular trips were introduced in 1821 the only way of crossing was to, hopefully, negotiate a fair price with one of the many boats at the harbour who offered unregulated passenger-only services.
Professor Paul Salveson is a historian and writer and lives in Bolton. He is visiting professor in ‘Worktown Studies’ at the University of Bolton and author of several books on Lancashire history International Women’s Day on Monday was a reminder of the many Bolton women who have played an important role in society – not just locally, but on the national stage. Four of them are Sarah Reddish, Alice Foley, Alice Collinge and Susan Isaacs Sarah Reddish (centre) with the the Bolton Women’s Co-operative Guild around 1900
Sarah Reddish Sarah Reddish was born in Westleigh (as it was then called - now ‘West Leigh’) in 1849 and left school at the age of 11 to work at home with her mother, a silk weaver. Her father, Thomas, was active in the Co-operative Movement and the family moved to Bolton where he became librarian and secretary to the Bolton Co-operative Education Committee. His co-operative principles rubbed off on his daughter.