Inchgarvie
Inchgarvie Island, showing position and size relative to the Forth Bridge. | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NT138795 |
| Coordinates | 56°02′N 3°14′W / 56.03°N 3.23°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Firth of Forth |
| Area | 0.83 hectares (89,340 sq ft) |
| Highest elevation | 19 metres (62 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | City of Edinburgh |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Inch Garvie, Firth of Forth, Defensive Installations |
| Type | 20th Century Military and Related: Battery, Secular: fort (non-prehistoric) |
| Designated | 19 August 1996 |
| Reference no. | SM6436 |
Inchgarvie or Inch Garvie is a small, uninhabited island in the Firth of Forth. On the rocks around the island sit four caissons that make up the foundations of the Forth Bridge.
Inchgarvie's fortifications pre-date the modern period. In the days when boats were the only way to cross the Firth of Forth, the island was on the main route between North Queensferry in Fife and South Queensferry in Lothian. This made it strategically important. Although now uninhabited, Inchgarvie has been inhabited throughout various periods of history. The first recorded time was in the late 15th century.
Like nearby Inchmickery, its profile and colour makes it look like a small warship from a distance. It was armed with coast defence guns from 1901 until 1906, and again from 1908 until the 1930s.