Anyone Recognise ?

[The Mantis]

I do remember Brown Brothers but not having a cycle department though.  Another fine structure in it's day!

Yes indeed - Brown Brothers were the national distributors for Vindec cycles. I worked for them, but not in the days when they sold saddles for horses.

[Charles Bannerman]

 

 

 

Well my family history seems to have been closely connected to Culcabock, so why not? Smile.

IBM , since you are on  here, that mill was a very interesting place. The stone wheels for grinding the  stuff were huge and the mill water wheel even larger.

 

The burn that ran under the road exited downstream and meandered on to ...where?

Just beside the road there was little cottage on the bank owned by a colonel McCarthur who employed the services of my uncle Roderick (called NED) as his gardener up the brae at his large house on the right hand side. The colonel apparently "thought the world" of my Uncle since he let him occupy the cottage free of charge. So Unle Ned  could sit outside the front door looking at the burn drifting by  with Culcabock, and straddling, the burn and my Aunt lived in it for years.

 

That little earthen, sandy road which ran alongside the burn close to the main road has a history: -

 In 1746 the redcoats were marching up the hill into Inverness when a wee boy who was standing on this wee pathway close to the main road, threw a stone(or two)  at one of them. The trooper replied by shooting the boy.!! Between that and shooting of prisoners in the jail at the foot of Church Street, it was a really bad and sad business.

 

Charlie Bannerman will be able to recount more on these stories I am sure. Hope so.

 

The redcoats were probably CB's ancestors.

 

If that's indicative of your understanding of the six decade campaign to restore the Stuarts, I take it you didn't do History in school then Dougie?

But let's leave stuff like that to the Referendum threads and keep to the spirit of this current excellent section of CTO.

 

 

Apologies, CB, did not realize that you had taken over the internet and banned all good natured craic forthwith.

 

OK Dougie. I will take that in the spirit in which it was intended   However the Jacobite rebellions, probably the most misunderstood aspect of British history, are a bit of a sensitive issue with me for reasons irrelevant to and too complex for here.

[Charles Bannerman]

 

I do remember Brown Brothers but not having a cycle department though.  Another fine structure in it's day!

Yes indeed - Brown Brothers were the national distributors for Vindec cycles. I worked for them, but not in the days when they sold saddles for horses.

 

Vindec? That was the make of my first trike that I got for Christmas 1956. Maybe Mantis sold it to my dad!

[IBM]

08-06-39.jpg

 

I believe this is around 1939. The 'shop' is the co-operative society horse and cart, and the guy on the left is my Grandad. 

There was a lot of pride in that days, check the shine on the shoes and even the horses hoofs are shining!

[The Mantis]

 

 

I do remember Brown Brothers but not having a cycle department though.  Another fine structure in it's day!

Yes indeed - Brown Brothers were the national distributors for Vindec cycles. I worked for them, but not in the days when they sold saddles for horses.

 

Vindec? That was the make of my first trike that I got for Christmas 1956. Maybe Mantis sold it to my dad!

 

I remember him well. It's not often a customer buys a trike then comes back 2 weeks later looking for stabilisers 

[Scarlet Pimple]

IBM you are absolutely correct about the pride thing, I never was allowed to leave the house without shiny shoes .

 

For my mum , what the neighbours thought was very important. Sounds a bit corny nowadays when, apparently, anything goes but at the same time keeping up good standards did benefit society. There are precious few good manners  here in Canada which is something I do miss I must say, since that was the oil between the wheels when Iw as little in Inverness. Ashen I met someone my mother knew I was expected to pull my forelock or salute.  And I now don't care whether I go out in Wellie boots or shiny shoes since people can think what they like so long as they give me good service in exchange for my hard-earned pension.

Changed days, huh?  

[Scarlet Pimple]

Mantis--you might well have met my dad had  you been a bit older.

 

He owned and operated the Northern Tire Service and built my first bike .

 

Then later in my teens he bought a sparkling new, green Vindec sporty -looking bikewhich he presented to me and watched as my face turned green with awe!

I am sure that he bought it from Brown Bros, if they were the dealer in Inverness, because  I know he dealt with them .

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Ahah

[Scarlet Pimple]

Nah!  IHE ..

 

My bike looked more modern and did not have curl-under handlebars, but nice more "gentlemany" ones with rubber ends that curved out the sides.

BUT...it did go like the wind .

At least until you put the brakes on hard when it was just as likely that you would be gone with the wind instead, right over the handelbars. Like I did on V Day in Europe at the age of 7 which was a rainy day with slippery tarmac under wheel. Landed on me nose and it shook me up no end. Vindec never promised safety so they were Vindec-ated, right?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Another Sneck advert

[IBM]

I had a Nicol's anorak!  Many years ago Nicol senior put a bag of money on the roof of his van and drove off, think it was 2 grand, cant remember if it was ever found!

[Charles Bannerman]

, think it was 2 grand, cant remember if it was ever found!

"Found"...down the Ferry like?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

An oldie

[IBM]

That is an oldie IHE it is the corner of Church Street and Queensgate the ground floor is now a hairdressers but the buildings on the right were long before the Clydesdale Bank! 

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

An even older view

[+bughtmaster]

I can just spot you sitting on the wall IHE, Great pic though my sort of scene!

[Scarlet Pimple]

Picture #163--that looks awfully like the Royal Bank of Scotland office where I first started my adult employment career.--the road that led up a slope from the office  to the High Street morphed into a covered corridor exiting on the High street pavement.

 

I also remember the little bakery shop on the slope close to the bank's front door since I had to go there every morning to buy the mid-morning snacks for the staff members. When I got back, if I was lucky, the typist had gone down stairs and got the tea set-a-going (as my mother used to say) otherwise that was my next chore.

To be truthful, as a bank apprentice, I learnt precious little in that year about banking but I did learn to count notes very fast with one finger. I was saved from falling asleep on the job, as it were, by the resonant cry from Westminster "your country needs you, so report top the nearest RAF recruiting office for your National Service number, etc."

 

Anyone care to  clarify ?

 

In North America a pavement is called the sidewalk and the word pavement refers to the paving of the road--ie, the tarmac.

[Charles Bannerman]

 

 

In North America a pavement is called the sidewalk and the word pavement refers to the paving of the road--ie, the tarmac.

So are you wearing your suspenders, Scarlet?

[IBM]

An even older view

He looks more respectable than the ones that sit there now with 2 litre bottles of White Lightning!

[Scarlet Pimple]

Monsieur Bannerperson........ Sniff.

 

Jealousy will get you everywhere.....and every time. Good try, though! Keep 'em comin, buddy.   

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

How about the aerodrome on the site of the TCS ?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Here is a poser ?

[Charles Bannerman]

Here is a poser ?

#172 is behind the Playhouse which is still standing in the photo but I can't remember for how long the shell stayed there after the 1972 fire. That's what makes dating the photo difficult and I don't think even IBM could date the car from the amount of detail available!(???) This photo seems to be of some kind of outdoor market on the site, apparently where 1st - 4th streets used to be and where a car park stood for some years before the Eastgate Centre was built. As I recollect these old streetsd (in which part of the 1964 documentary "Culloden" was filmed) were demolished late 70s and if so there's a potential query there in relation to the Playhouse.

You can also see the Rose Window which was part of the old Methodist Church. The window was removed many years ago and ever since has been festering in the Highland Council depot in Diriebught Road.

#171 is a painting of the old Longman airfield the the Caopt Edward Fresson era of the mid 1930s when Highland aviation was in its infancy.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Wasn't it Capt Friesen or Fressen who flew float planes  in and out of Inverness. a long time ago?

[IBM]

Here is a poser ?

You are right about the car Charles I haven't a clue!  It was the Falcon Square open market which run on Saturdays sometime between 1975 & 1980.  It didn't last long, I knew 2 BT engineers who had stalls there, Eddie Mutch Fruit & Veg and Chris Neill an Old bottle & any other junk he could find stall!