3rd Pier - Arrochar Pier

Stock image - Arrochar pier

BACKGROUND

 

Arrochar pier, which is situated in the village of Arrochar and on Loch Long was built in 1850 to service the steamers that occupied the Clyde and the surrounding lochs. 

The pier in its day was popularly known for its "Three Lochs Tour" where steamers would visit Loch Long, Loch Goil and then let passengers depart at Arrochar and they would be taken across to Tarbet by coach before they would embark on another steamer that would sail the length of Loch Lomond.  Toward the end of the 19th century however there was much competition between railway companies that operated many of the steamer services on the Scottish lochs and there would be several companies at a time providing services to Arrochar pier.  The pier was also commonly used by cargo vessels as they transported different materials from Glasgow and Ireland and from Arrochar, wool would be sent to the Liverpool market.

However the pier began to fall into decline due to the arrival of the railways and many vessels that travelled the route were requested to be used during World War.  After many years of disuse, unfortunately the pier itself suffered severe damage during a violent storm in the 1970s, which left it in ruins.  

IMAGES OF THE PIER TODAY

These images were reshot on 26 March 2017 from the originals taken on 27 January 2017 using an Olympus E-M1 and a 14-42mm lens and 12mm wide angle prime lens.  For these shots I was able to get right up close to the pier itself with the tide being out.  This allowed me to capture shots that show the full scale of what is left of the pier as well as capture it from different angles both centred and side on.  The middle image also shows the scale of the pier's remains well as it features a woman, who was walking around the pier itself on the shore, which I made black and white to add more visual impact.

Overall I think these images show the pier's structure very well and offer different compositions to show its size and scale, which was aided by the tide being out.