Old Garages of The Sneck

[Guest Glen Mhor]

Who recalls the old garages of The Sneck ?

There have been so many in different parts of the town over the years - Ferries (Triumph) on Millburn Road where Farm & Household is now, Rossleigh (Hillman, Singer, Humber) on Young Street where Tescos is, SMT (Vauxhall) where Farmfoods is, Macrae & ****, of course, in Struthers Lane (BMC/BL range) and I think there was a Chapmans (Fords) in Greig Street and also on Longman Road where Halfords is today. Don't think they sold cars there but might have serviced and/or stored them. The Inverness Motor Co on Struthers Lane (where Royal Mail are now) sold Rovers and Land Rovers.

I think there was a garage on Anderson Street which sold DAFs.

:024:

[Proctor]

My dad worked in SMT in the 1980's untill they became SVL and moved to Harbour road. Apparently the council were desperate to get the garages out there. Don't know why.

[morris]

I think the garage on Anderson st was riverside garage/motors adjacent to riddells motorcycles.Other old garages include Mackenzie and Macpherson at the top of the raining stairs,Midmills Garage when owned by Ludo and John Macpherson,Raigmore service station ,County Motors in Montague row and what was the one in Glenurquart rd was it Smiths Autos ??

[12th Man]

There was also the Fiat? garage, where JJB sport is,Academy st. We used to cut through there for a game of footy at the spectrum centre during school dinner break, that was when Culloden Academy was at the top of Stephens brae

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

My first car was from the one at the top of the Raining Stairs - I took the wrong turning and it was a **** of a feckin trial drive down to Castle Street - and how many houses, drives and gardens were "garages" in those days !!!

[morris]

12th man you are out on 2 counts .Macrae and **** were in Academy st and were Austin ,Morris and RollsRoyce dealers not Fiat and the school at the top of Stephens brae was Inverness Royal Academy.I cant recall if there was a fiat dealer before Donald Mackenzie's took over the old Rossleighs garage in Tomnahurich st in the late 70 s anybody recall ??

[Charles Bannerman]

MacKenzie and MacPherson at the top of Raining's Stairs. Alastair MacPherson and Dunc MacKenzie. My dad and I both took our cars there. Then we went to Brown's near the Black Bridge.... until they forgot to tighten the nuts on one of my wheels one day. (Since then it's been F and R MacDonald which is alive, well and excellent.)

There was also MacPherson's on Midmills Road. I think I used them once or twice in the distant past. Also, the Inverness Motor Company where I bought my first car.

[12th Man]

12th man you are out on 2 counts .Macrae and **** were in Academy st and were Austin ,Morris and RollsRoyce dealers not Fiat and the school at the top of Stephens brae was Inverness Royal Academy.I cant recall if there was a fiat dealer before Donald Mackenzie's took over the old Rossleighs garage in Tomnahurich st in the late 70 s anybody recall ??

OK I was only 11 ! That's why I put a question mark next to Fiat.

But Midmills College WAS Culloden Academy for a couple of years as the academy in Culloden was still being built.

[Guest Glen Mhor]

I think the garage on Glenurquhart Road which is now a chip/pizza shop and convenience store and at one time was known as Park Motors sold Fiats and they also sold Volvos. They could get almost any make of car - my dad bought a Triumph Herald estate from them.

:003:

[L_G]

12th man you are out on 2 counts .Macrae and **** were in Academy st and were Austin ,Morris and RollsRoyce dealers not Fiat and the school at the top of Stephens brae was Inverness Royal Academy.I cant recall if there was a fiat dealer before Donald Mackenzie's took over the old Rossleighs garage in Tomnahurich st in the late 70 s anybody recall ??

OK I was only 11 ! That's why I put a question mark next to Fiat.

But Midmills College WAS Culloden Academy for a couple of years as the academy in Culloden was still being built.

I can remember Midmills being the IRA, but don't ever recall it being Culloden Academy.  Mr Bannerman, can you help?

[caley100]

I think the garage on Glenurquhart Road which is now a chip/pizza shop and convenience store and at one time was known as Park Motors sold Fiats and they also sold Volvos. They could get almost any make of car - my dad bought a Triumph Herald estate from them.

:003:

It ended up as Argyll motors run by Brian Rizza, before that it was Hamilton Bros, who had their main garage next to the fire station, now city plumbing.

Seem to remember a garage half way up Rose street on the left, opposite the AI welders, run by a pole... nothing changes eh?

[latviaman]

I can remember as you walked up the stairs (Raining ) there was a Garage on the right hand side, my Father swore by them , does anyone  remember

[Charles Bannerman]

That was MacKenzie and MacPherson (see my earlier post).

[SMEE]

Seem to remember a garage half way up Rose street on the left, opposite the AI welders, run by a pole... nothing changes eh?

That garage was certainly part of the BMW Cadertons (i think) dealership in 80s...but i think it was just motorbikes from waht i rememeber.

[12th Man]

12th man you are out on 2 counts .Macrae and **** were in Academy st and were Austin ,Morris and RollsRoyce dealers not Fiat and the school at the top of Stephens brae was Inverness Royal Academy.I cant recall if there was a fiat dealer before Donald Mackenzie's took over the old Rossleighs garage in Tomnahurich st in the late 70 s anybody recall ??

OK I was only 11 ! That's why I put a question mark next to Fiat.

But Midmills College WAS Culloden Academy for a couple of years as the academy in Culloden was still being built.

I can remember Midmills being the IRA, but don't ever recall it being Culloden Academy.  Mr Bannerman, can you help?

?????I didn't actually expect anyone to question the name of the school I went to.

Yes it used to be the IRA but it wasn't when I went there.

But of course some people know best.

Children from Culloden,Smithton,Balloch,Ardersier,Sunnyside and Westhill went there by bus, apologies to any areas missed out.

But lets get back to the topic 'Garages', next someone is going to tell me that Gunsmiths didn't sell guns.

[Charles Bannerman]

Inverness Royal Academy finally moved out of Midmills into a single site at Culduthel in 1979. the embryonic Culloden Academy, some of whose pupils had been held at Millburn for a year or two, then temporarily moved into Midmills until their new building at Culloden was ready in, i think, 1981.

Sorry... off topic.

[Guest chasbain]

donald mckenzie mts. originally was in tomnahurich street. near the carpet emporium building.

[TSTtiger]

was also a garage by the old haugh bar selling vw beetles at one point. brian mcgregor owned it if memory serves. its flats now

[morris]

Some great memories coming up here .The garage in Rose st was in fact the Rose st garage owned by the Robertsons.It was owned by Calterdon after that and "George  the jeep"was a salesman with them .The Garage ran by the "pole "was in George st next to Chisholm's the undertakers. The garage in the Haugh was latterly run by Brian Macgregor but was originally Harper's Garage. Was the Garage in Glenurqaurt road not Smiths Automobiles at one time owned by "Ginger smith ???I don't remember it being Hamilton Bros

[Guest Glen Mhor]

My dad used to buy pterol at Harpers Garage in the Haugh. I always remember they had an old Borgward car outside the office inside the garage. It didn't have a bonnet and was full of rubbish of all types. It was covered in dust and hadn't been worked on for ages but a very rare car in Inverness; certainly very collectable now.

:driving01:

[caley100]

Some great memories coming up here .The garage in Rose st was in fact the Rose st garage owned by the Robertsons.It was owned by Calterdon after that and "George  the jeep"was a salesman with them .The Garage ran by the "pole "was in George st next to Chisholm's the undertakers. The garage in the Haugh was latterly run by Brian Macgregor but was originally Harper's Garage. Was the Garage in Glenurqaurt road not Smiths Automobiles at one time owned by "Ginger smith ???I don't remember it being Hamilton Bros

I stand by your views Morris, but then you are a lot older than me :016:

Harpers was further along Haugh was it not? nearer Gordonville road?

Hey Ginger Smith... wow, forgot all about him, did he not have a car sales yard Dunabban street?

[morris]

When Harper's garage changed hands to the "infamous "Brian Macgregor "No hassle from the garage near the castle"Campbell Harper did indeed trade from what can only be described as an old Nissan hut on the corner of Gordonville Road Very similar to Galaxy Garage nowadays !!!!!

Lol Ha HA Ha

I am not so sure I am older caley 100 ????

As for Ginger Smith I am not sure about the yard in Dunabban St.I thought after Glenurquart Rd he semi retired and I remember him staying in a big house at the top of Old Edinburgh Rd near Dow's bar where he "dabbled "in the odd used car .Was the yard in Dunabban not Jo Jo s old mans .????

[morris]

Remembered a few more (nothing else to do on such a miserable day)Macmurray and Archibald in Chapel st,Muirfield Service Station and Duncraig Motors

[Guest Glen Mhor]

Didn't Hawcos first start selling VWs from a garage in King Street ? The first Golfs and Polos in The Sneck were sold there. In the early 1970s Datsuns were sold on Tomnahurich Street in the old J T L Parkinsons offices/workshop by a garage from Dingwall (?). I think Donald Mackenzie took over the Rossleigh garage and sold Fiats from there for a time before moving down to the Longman. Skodas were sold out at Delmore and Ladas on the Nairn road near Culloden Pottery. 

:driving01:

[morris]

I do recall Datsuns being sold by Invercars in Harbour Rd but now it s been mentioned was it Newtons from Dingwall before that .Where exactly in Tomnahurich st ??The Garage in King st was Chapmans in the sixties but then Icant remember who was in it after that could have been Hawcos .Ness motors had their bodyshop there in the 80s