A diminutive trio

“The winter weather feature in a recent edition of The Courier recalled the days when ships calling at Perth were much smaller than the ships currently navigating the upper reaches of the River Tay,” emails a regular reader. “These vessels can be up to 90 metres in length.

“Coasters in the photograph of the frozen Lower Harbour could be the Mytongate on the left and Humbergate berthed on the opposite quay. If so, their cargoes would have totalled 482 tons of granular fertiliser and 285 tons of basic slag respectively.

“Both ships were owned by the Hullbased Hull Gates Shipping Co Ltd. The larger and older of the two, Mytongate, had

a black painted hull. The smaller vessel, Humbergate, was one of a diminutive trio, the others being Queensgate and Paullgate, all of which were painted light blue. A large percentage of the company’s coasters were named after locations around the Humber estuary.

“It would appear that the spell of sub-zero temperatures, together with the seasonal

holidays, had interrupted working at the port, as some of the arrivals had spent several days discharging. Cargoes involved included lime, bulk granular fertiliser and basic slag inwards, plus potatoes outwards consigned to Bird’s Eye. This latter cargo is possibly a story in itself.

“The two motor yachts tied up at the west quay alongside Friarton Road were owned by local businessmen. A tall metal industrial chimney (far left) stood above Messrs Gartshore’s former fertiliser plant. Part of the high framework of a gasometer can be seen between the warehouses while the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co transit shed (centre) on the cross berth was demolished a few years ago.”

“This was a lovely drive to Tummel and Kenmore before full lockdown,” says Howard Davies of Invergowrie. “The photograph shows Kenmore and Loch Tay.”