The small Town of South Queensferry is dominated by the great bridge that span the mile (1.6km) across the River Forth to the town of Inverkeithing. The spectacular rail bridge, the first major steel-built bridge in the world, was opened in 1890 and remains one of the greatest engineering achievements of the late Victorian era. Its massive cantilevered sections are held together by more than 8 million rivets, and the painted area adds up to some 55 ha (135 acres).

It was the rail bridge that inspired the book "The Bridge" (1986) by the popular Scottish writer Iain Banks. The town of South Queensferry received its name from the 11th century Queen Margaret who used the ferry here on her journeys between Edinburgh and the royal palace at Dunfermline.