The Hill district

[Guest iTS ONLY ME]

Whilst I do  like reading all the Ferry crack and Dalneigh stories does anyone here have memories of the Hill District, I remember a bakers near the Crown School and also Mr Galloway in the wee shop. I remember the head of the Crown a very imposing man with grey hair and the minister at the Crown Church Rev CP Smith, (so see CB Dementia has diminished) I was in the third BB company with a school teacher in charge and we went to camps at Alness and once to Gourdenstoun, gosh I remember these Hopetown girls anyone  else remember

[Charles Bannerman]

The school teacher in charge of the 3rd BB woyld have been David Thom, Depute rector of the Royal Academy. Did you not also go to BB Camps at Carrbridge? I had a very interesting chat with Jackie Sutherland at a recent ICT game. Jackie, it seems, still keeps an interest in the old BB Campsite at Carrbridge.

iOM if you're an old boy from the Crown you might be taken aback to learn that the Royal Academy playing field has now been blitzed to accommodate the new Millburn Academy.

Do you also remember Morrison's the Bakers and their wonderful pies. It's now an optician's. The Heatmount and the Corrie are still there of course. Frankie Jew's (aka Galloways) is now a gents' barber's. The Royal Academy is now the Tecky College. The Crown School is still the Crown School though.

[Guest iTS ONLY ME]

Wasn't he the man with the gun , I mean David Thom, a starter .. Carrbridge I did not ever go to, mind you as the 3rd we once camped for a weekend in a village in Avoch, we had to go to the local farmer and fill sacks with straw to sleep on, we all suffered for weeks afterwards.

The Heathmount I remember, I also remember a chemists on the corner opposite the bakers where you could buy throat sweet (brown hexagonal) gosh I can taste them now.

What was the shop at the top of Stephens brae on the left as you go down opposite the Academy, demensure again!!

[Charles Bannerman]

David Thom was indeed starter at a lot of athletics meetings and school sports in the area. The shop at the top of Stephen's Brae has been a number of things over the years and is currently a flower shop.

[Guest iTS ONLY ME]

Charles, did Mario Bernadi ever become Mayor of Inverness, if so when?

[Charles Bannerman]

To my recollection no. I think the first Provost I remember in the early 60s was Robert Wotherspoon who had a widespread reputation of being an out and out crook. When he died (and he IS deid Scotty so don't worry about defamation!) Miss Barron at The Courier tasked her Chief Reporter to write the Obituary. He only direct instruction was reputed to have been "and under no circumstances mention the word integrity!"

Then there was Bobo MacKay of old Caley memory. In the 60s it was regarded as a bit unusual to see Provosts' lamps outside a Council House. (I seem to remember an earlier debate about whether it was Caledonian Road or Lilac Grove.)

There may have been somebody else between Bobo and Iain Fraser and then we moved into the era of Bill Fraser (the butcher) and Allan Sellar. These gents are quite frequently to be seen together at home ICT matches. It has to be recorded that both played their parts in the early history of ICT and Allan is still a Trustee.

The present incumbent is Bill Smith.

Then there was the man who came so close so often but never managed to clinch the top joband that was Tom MacKenzie.

[Caley Mad In Berks]

CB Interesting that you mentioned the 'nearly man', Tom McKenzie in your list of provosts.  Had Tom got the top job, that would have been another provost lamppost outside a council house, as Tom lived in Hilton (Druid Rd I think). A fine man he was too, I remember him coming to the house every week to visit my elderly mother in her final years.  This, on top of all his hospital visiting, not to mention the umpteen council activities he was always involved in.  I don't think he ever missed a week, but maybe it was the cup of tea and scones that were the attraction.

[caley100]

Charles, did Mario Bernadi ever become Mayor of Inverness, if so when?

Jeez... where have you been, in fact where are ya?

[Guest iTS ONLY ME]

Ok so got that wrong, about Bernadi

Charles do you remember Kojak ie the Chief constable who had a bit of a rep at the time used to drink in Kingsmills area as I remember .

The more I read on this memorie line I feel I must go back again and take a second look at sneck with new wife.

The last time I came by myself, it had changed so much, but now coming on this site  I have got some old photties and can retrace my steps.

[absent friend]

I was a delivery boy for Donnie McGillvery, (previously Ernie Westcombes), the butcher, across Crown Street(?) from the Bakers and as I delivered the meat for the pies to their bakers, I received a large bag of goodies from them when I finish work at lunchtime. A treat indeed back then. 

Across the road on the Culcabock side of Union Road, up a couple of steps from the pavement, was Ross the chemist and they stayed in a bungalow opposite McEwan Drive, up past the Thistle park. Sad to relate that Jock Ross, the chemist's son, died in the last year down in Edinburgh, where he had lived for many years.

Miss Youdells(?) was across from the chemists, a Post Office I think, an old lady with her hair tied back in a 'bun'

And lastly, two doors down from the Post Office, towards the school, was Adam McGillvery's shoe shop.

Not a bad recall for a young laddie as I was back then.

[latviaman]

Did westcombe the butcher have a son cliff, I think I was at school with him

[Scarlet Pimple]

Yep--David Thom was indeed a starter.

In his Latin class at the academy he once gave me a double hander that was so painful that I could hardly see the seat for the flipping tears as I staggered back into it.

That wasn't my fault that I had tied my leg to the seat stanchion with my Academy scarf and was doing anything but paying attention because I was egged on by Morgan the Mighty who had red hair and later became a nuclear scientist in England.I knew he was bright and in these days I picked my seats carefully to bask in reflected glory mostly. Backfired on me that time....sigh... :012:

Why was I always the fall guy?--in the English class I got belted again for fidgetting and inattention and that time it was Willie egging me on . I mean all I asked him was if he knew Willie Rattle-Assegai and his blank look absorbed my attention until he broke into a knowing smile and titter and said "Oh, you mean William Shakespeare"?. That got the goat of the female teacher and she let fly with her tawse of nine tails. I thought that she was really intolerant and cruel..... :015:

[Scarlet Pimple]

Aye--it was indeed Willie's fault---Willie Munro from up that District past Culcabock. Aye that's it , Dell of Inches. Gawd, my memory is really going these days.His dad was a vet or something had a wee farm up there .Think he became a Vet too--does anyone know abouthim. Good lad, good lad.

Scarlet :029:

[The Long Man]

Can i just point out that the bakers was indeed Morrison's (where the optician is now), but they had taken it over from a family concern which was a far superior independent oufit: Bowman's. They had the bakery round the corner off Argyle Street, and you would regularly see the bakers carrying the large trays of pies and the like on their heads from the bakery to the shop. And the sweet shop on the corner was Jenny Yoodle's, beside the grocer's (was it Macaulay's?). Then further along there was a cobbler. Jimmy Chisolm, the actor, used to live above the shops on the other side.

[absent friend]

Just two doors up Kingsmills road, towards the Mecca of football, aka Jags Park, from Ross the chemist's, resided Miss Macdonald - the primary teacher in Culcabock School. She was the person that soothed the childhood fear of leaving the secure home and entering this new world of learning. And a super job she made of it too!

I don't recall if she ever taught anywhere else as she seemed to be attached to the infant room as if it were her second home.

Even as I write this, the contrast between this angelic lady who was so warm and the headmaster with his love of warming our hands with the belt, flows back and to think they were only two classes apart - P3 to P6!

[L_G]

There was a shop on the corner of Reay Street and Hill Street.  Kidds It was called.

[canuck]

Macauley's was indeed the name of the grocer's shop. Colin Gunn (Snr.) served behind the counter for many years, he stayed in one of the two prefabs that used to be on Culduthel Road, #37 across from Aultnaskiach near Hedgefield Hostel. There used to be a row of 5 or 6 prefabs behind theirs which I believe were on Sunnybank Avenue,  I'm not sure if they are still standing, I very much doubt it. His brother Gilmour (Gilly) was a well known character in the town especially on the social scene! I believe he was into boxing in his younger days.

[Charles Bannerman]

I think MacAulays later became Kidds... just as Galloways later became Frankie Jews.

Gilly Gunn... did he live in one of the stone built houses in St. Andrew Drive in Dalneigh? I think he had a daughter about my age in Dalneigh School.

[canuck]

Yes Charles, The Gunn family, Gilly, Mina and their daughter stayed across the street from you at #21 St. Andrews Drive, the last row of houses before St. Valery Ave.

[absent friend]

See, we can't discuss the Hill District without someone bringing the tone down, with references to Dalneigh!

[Guest dougald]

I can remember the BB camps at Carrbridge, great times, my uncle rod worked in Carrbridge and he took me home to my auntie bettys for grub every evening

[Charles Bannerman]

The BBs! Now there's another topic worthy of a thread of its own!

[Guest TelfordStLampPost]

There was a shop on the corner of Reay Street and Hill Street.  Kidds It was called.

My granddad bought if from Mr Kidd & had it for a couple years.  Then my auntie & uncle bought it & extended the shop.  But with all Tesco's the amount of trade dimished & they closed up in the late 90's.  I spent a lot of years working in that shop.  Was a bike shop for a while afterwards & last I heard was turned back to a flat.