Why is Laurel Avenue a dual carriageway?

[Charles Bannerman]

And from further back.

There are several interesting features of that photo. I would guess that it was taken the late 1940s and you can actually see that the High School's HORSA huts, a creation of that immediate post war era, are still under construction.

It's also interesting to note that Lilac Grove must to some extent have been completed "odd before even" and in reverse since the odd numbers look complete while there is still a blank where the lower even numbers now are.

The fact that Dalneigh School (1954), although the building would have been off the left hand margin, appears not to be there yet is also consistent with the suggested date.

There seems to be building going on all over that end of Dalneigh since apart from Lilac Grove being incomplete, so is Caledonian Road, including the cul de sac, and there also seems to be piecemeal development in the Hawthorn Drive/ Limetree Avenue/ Rowan Road area. I just wonder how many of these houses are actually complete? It's a pity that the photo doesn't extend to the other end of Dalneigh.

On the far side of the canal I think I am looking at the absence of Glengarry Rd.

The High School playing field seems to include a football and a hockey pitch. Presumably they left rugby to the posh boys at the Kaddie!

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And yet another panorama

[Charles Bannerman]

And yet another panorama

The top of Tomnahurich seems to have been popular among photographers in these days. This looks like a pretty old photo since there is no sign of Maxwell Drive/Smith Ave/ Lindsay Ave and the string of houses across the middle are presumably Park Road, although strangely I always thought that the houses in Park Rd were single story, but apparently not. Victoria Park is still there with its bandstand and sports pavilion.

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Another feckin bus to the principality

[IBM]

That stop is outside Gilbert Ross and I notice Macrae & Dick across the road don't know what they had there, I remember Burnetts shop in that one or next door.  The front tyres on the bus look pretty slick!  The cars opposite Austin A55, Hilman Minx & Ford Pop. 

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And whoosh in years

[IBM]

Inverness Traction who were forced out of business by Stagecoach who were running free buses a few minutes in front of them!  Joe public thought the free buses were great but it was short lived as Inverness Traction could not compete and went out of business then the prices went up surprise surprise.

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And they are both headed to ?

[IBM]

Dalneigh, what huge gardens behind the houses between Ballifeiry Road & Glenurquhart Road.  Not much to the left of the infirmary apart from the Foster's houses at 1 & 3 Springfield Gardens.

[Charles Bannerman]

Dalneigh, what huge gardens behind the houses between Ballifeiry Road & Glenurquhart Road.  Not much to the left of the infirmary apart from the Foster's houses at 1 & 3 Springfield Gardens.

Dalneigh in general has pretty big gardens... even the newer part like St Andrew Drive.

I remember the Stagecoach/ Inverness Traction business. I'm not sure that modern competition legislation would allow behaviour like that nowadays.

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But most people went here on the way home fro town or the papers ?

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So where did you live ?

[Charles Bannerman]

My house, 14 St Andrew Drive, is right on, or maybe just off, the bottom edge of the photo, about a quarter of the way along from the left.

[IBM]

9 Laurel Avenue near the top right of the dual carriageway.

[Charles Bannerman]

My house, 14 St Andrew Drive, is right on, or maybe just off, the bottom edge of the photo, about a quarter of the way along from the left.

I originally looked at this photo on my phone but now on my computer the resolution is much better and I can see that by old house is just on the photo. In fact I think I can even make out the shed that my dad built from old packing cases he got from Broomans warehouse.

Dating this photo is quite an intriguing exercise. The fact thast it is good quality colour suggests that it may be recent, but details of it rather contradict this.

The area between Dalneigh School and the canal is not yet developed and I am not sure if the "crop circle" like image is where the "Pavilion" had been knocked down or where they were about to put it. What may support the latter is that there is no sign of the houses and shops between and parallel to St Mungo Road and St Margaret's Road nor of the corresponding houses running between Caledonian Road and Limetree Avenue. Indeed what we are seeing may be the foundations of these, but on the other hand there do appear to be paths. I'm also not sure if the Scout Hall opposite Dalneigh Church is there yet. All of that might suggest that the photo was taken in the early 1960s. But is the number of cars consistent with that?

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A boast from the High School ?

[Charles Bannerman]

A boast from the High School ?

Correct me if I am wrong but across these photos I think I can spot the names of Billy Sanderson, Peter Flockhart (but I thought he went to Millburn), Dougie Lyall, and S?ammy Black plus a few more I vaguely recognise. Was Sammy Black also related to Lofty and Tichy? By the way I think it was a bit ungenerous in the blurb not to mention Tichy when they mentioned Lofty.

As a former Kaddie Rat I would have to concede that in these days the Tecky did probably produce better sports performers, especially after they went into the wider world. In fact, although the Academy laid great store in sport, up until about 1980 it in fact had a pretty poor record of high achieving FPs.

Strangely that changed dramatically after the move to Culduthel and since the 1980s former pupils include three Olympians, one of them a triple world champion and another a world champion and a large number of Commonwealth Games team members plus several more internationalists.

[IBM]

Philip Black, Billy Sanderson & Alan Douglas all in the same year as me in the High School (I didn't play football so no chance of being in any pictures)

[dougiedanger]

So where did you live ?

 

Caley Road, near the bottom, for two short spells.

[Charles Bannerman]

Alan Douglas

Presumably not our old chum Buenos Hornell who is a fair bit younger I believe?

[dougiedanger]

Funny how they called it soccer back then, was that commonly used in more formal language?

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Tooshie Douglas. Donald Flock went to Millburn and Pete went to High. Would have said that the Academy football team of 72-74 was one of the most successful ever.

[Charles Bannerman]

Funny how they called it soccer back then, was that commonly used in more formal language?

Naw, it was just the Teckie trying to be social climbers.

[+bughtmaster]

You got a lot of hammerings in the 50's, took you a long time to 'buy' decent instructors. Yer heids were so far up yer own own tarsus we loved giving you these hidings.              still there in some cases         

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Could this be Dalneigh ?