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Description

The history of piers at Helensburgh is long and complex. There have been numerous piers.

With the opening of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway to Helensburgh in 1858 construction of a new pier began in 1859.

This steamer pier opened in 1860.

The pier is about a third of a mile from the station, a slow connection between train and steamer if by foot. This mattered as the North British Railway, in Helensburgh, and Caledonian Railway and Glasgow and South Western Railway, in Greenock, were all competing for coastal traffic.

The Caledonian Railway's Greenock terminus of 1841 was also inconvenient for the steamers and an extension to a new station at Gourock, closer to the steamer destinations was planned.

The Glasgow and South Western Railway's Greenock Princes Pier [1st] was actually by the river and opened in 1869.

Clearly, the North British needed to do something.

The North British was frustrated in its efforts to build an extension to the pier. Instead it decided to build the Craigendoran station and Craigendoran Pier complex. This opened in 1882.

Following this Helensburgh Pier saw light use. From 1950 a triangular Greenock - Kilcreggan Pier - Helensburgh started, summertime only. This ceased to serve Helensburgh in 2012.

Craigendoran Pier closed in 1973. From 1978 on PS Waverley [IV] began to call at Helensburgh Pier.

Helensburgh pier still stands with a car and coach park which throng in summer, this built on a large area of reclaimed land on its east side.

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