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Do you remember the old Eastgate ?


Glen Mhor

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I think Alan Sellar who later became Provost of Sneck ran the mealstore and he later opened the health shop in Union Street which moved to Baron Taylor's Street.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Allan Sellar's mealstore may well be before my time but you are very possibly right. You are definitely right about him having the Health Shop.

Allan was also instrumental in his role as a Councillor and Provost in getting the Caledonian Stadium where it is and he had the honour of doing the official "kick off" at the first SFL game there v Albion Rovers (good strike too if I remember!) He is in addition a member of the ICT Trust which owns the Caledonian Stadium.

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I think Alan Sellar who later became Provost of Sneck ran the mealstore and he later opened the health shop in Union Street which moved to Baron Taylor's Street.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

As it happens I met Allan at the game on Saturday and he confirmed that he had shops at 16 and then 68 Eastgate. The mealstore part of his business came about when the owner of the original meal shop was killed in a car accident and Allan was asked to add this to his original lines. Then he moved into the Health Food side of things, eventually ending up in Baron Taylor's St where he bought the shop there from Burnetts the Bakers. His son Martin now runs the shop.

I made the point that the Health Shop is a sole beacon of good living in Baron Taylor St which also has two bars (including the less than salubrious Moray and Keg(?) as well as two bookies. In fact if you add to that the boarded up former Arnotts (Benzie and Millers or Young and Chapman if you're even older!) and the defunct Thistle Social Club along with the less than healthy looking people who stand outside smoking fags (with the smell of smoke filling the street!)... then Baron Taylor's St. has to be about the most depressing thoroughfare in Inverness.

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I think Alan Sellar who later became Provost of Sneck ran the mealstore and he later opened the health shop in Union Street which moved to Baron Taylor's Street.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

As it happens I met Allan at the game on Saturday and he confirmed that he had shops at 16 and then 68 Eastgate. The mealstore part of his business came about when the owner of the original meal shop was killed in a car accident and Allan was asked to add this to his original lines. Then he moved into the Health Food side of things, eventually ending up in Baron Taylor's St where he bought the shop there from Burnetts the Bakers. His son Martin now runs the shop.

I made the point that the Health Shop is a sole beacon of good living in Baron Taylor St which also has two bars (including the less than salubrious Moray and Keg(?) as well as two bookies. In fact if you add to that the boarded up former Arnotts (Benzie and Millers or Young and Chapman if you're even older!) and the defunct Thistle Social Club along with the less than healthy looking people who stand outside smoking fags (with the smell of smoke filling the street!)... then Baron Taylor's St. has to be about the most depressing thoroughfare in Inverness.

You are quite right there Charles. Baron Taylor's Street has to be the most down-at-heel thoroughfare in the "Old Town". Thirty years ago it had such a diversity of shops. Yes, very depressing.

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You are quite right there Charles. Baron Taylor's Street has to be the most down-at-heel thoroughfare in the "Old Town". Thirty years ago it had such a diversity of shops. Yes, very depressing.

Anyone old enough to remember when Munros the cycle shop was there? That business was owned by the family of the wife of another ex Provost Robert Wotherspoon.

I think it must have been the passing of the Thistle Club that started the rot!

The smell of fag smoke and stale drink these days is absolutely dreadful.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can anyone post old pics of eastgate before the shopping centre etc was there? I quite enjoy seeing old pics of inverness (in a non geeky way)

Maybe there is a thread in itself here, for posting old pics of inverness

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Can anyone post old pics of eastgate before the shopping centre etc was there? I quite enjoy seeing old pics of inverness (in a non geeky way)

Maybe there is a thread in itself here, for posting old pics of inverness

The Inverness History Forum published a book not that long ago with just this sort of thing. Ex councillor Sheila MacKay and my mum were both involved in putting it together .... It was a very limited run so not sure if any are still available.

No problems with anyone posting pictures of "old inverness" on here, we can even create a gallery category if required, but please be mindful of any copyright that may still exist.

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The Inverness History Forum

Very worthy local organisation. Their exhibitions in church halls and the like are far more illustrative of local history than the stuffed fauna and Jacobites which seem to be the limit achieved by the less than inspiring Inverness Museum.

Aye, spot on there Charles. If anywhere was designed to stifle any interest in local history and events then it's Inverness Museum. I've been to quite a few museums and I've got to say that Inverness has to be the most uninspiring and unimaginative there is.

:rotflmao:

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I have a copy of the book below to remind me of old inverness, some good old pictures of the Eastgate in it, from near the town house though, som you really cant se eastgate much, but some good ones of the rest of the town.

There is a cracker taken in the offices of Duncan Duffy in 1910, insurance & shipping agent 12 lombard street, with the two gentlemn behind the counters, with dodgy moustaches in tow..

but i have never bothered with a scanner so unfortunately cannot print it for you.

http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Inverness_...ict/0750915447/

515SSXCTW3L._SL160_.jpg

Edited by CaleyHE
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