Has Inverness changed much..

[ar78]

Hello,

I remember the ness when i was about 16 in 1994, ages ago now...

I remember coots (?) the sports shop down academy street, the swimming pool near there as well, that little cafe in the market(you know who you are!), an arcade room i think opposite that desinger clothes shop lumo ladona... loads of good memories.. are these all still there?

Is it still the same old inverness, or has it's city status, influx of Europeans and other Brits, and whatever else changed it a lot?

It used to be so ordinary and plain which was it's best quality i think.....

[The Mantis]

Aye, PC Coutts, stocked the Caley strip. Shetland Originals on the corner of Bridge Street. Clive Rowland the outdoor shop long before Tisos or Nevisport arrived. Leakey the bookshop in the market before he moved to the Greig St bridge. Melvens bookshop. L. Gavin's. All those highland outfitters and gun and saddle shops. Going out past the Caley Park by Muir of Ord before the bridge was built. Ach I know that was before 1994, I'm getting carried away :thumb04: :018:

[ar78]

Coutts was on Church street not Academy street...

Clive Rowlands! Wasn't there an Army and Navy shop and Poundstretchers there as well......?

And Pandoras Box down that wee alley opposite back door of Arnotts...?

And of course Woolworths round there as well...

I remember getting taught swimming in Inverness when quite young by a guy who used to be called Dracula...anyone remember him...?

Was it an Arnotts or M & S over the round from Poundstretchers, near to JF'es....used to be a great wee cafe upstairs....?

Loads...

[Glen Mhor]

Clive Rowlands' first shop in Sneck was in the old Navy recruiting office next to the La Scala. Years ahead of his time selling outdoor gear.

Leakey's first bookshop was in a wee upstairs place in one of the closes off Baron Taylor's Street.

What a busy and vibrant shopping centre Sneck was in those days. What a pity the old town centre has gone back so much in recent years.

Looking back, Sneck was really quite a good place to set up in business but that was years ago before the multiple stores moved in. Not such an easy place to make a living in a shop these days.

[Scotty]

When I was back in April, I thought it looked a little run-down (the town centre that is). When I was back a few weeks ago, I thought it was like a ghost town. Admittedly, the roadworks everywhere dont help, but it just didnt feel vibrant any more.

I hope the credit crunch and other factors that may be affecting the town centre ease somewhat and it bounces back, but its obvious times are tough when you walk through it.

[Charles Bannerman]

When I was back in April, I thought it looked a little run-down (the town centre that is).

Scotty.. did you take a walk down Baron Taylor's Street? (see the latter posts on the Eastgate thread.)

And the road works! Don't start me! Even outwith the city centre it's taken them about 3 months to progress quarter of a mile digging a trench along Culduthel Road to total traffic confusion.

What is the function of the unattended holes in the ground at what we oldies would call the Rendezvous and the end of Baron Taylor's Street which have been there for much of 2008?

And what on earth is this "streetscape" nonsense? Is this simply a case of digging up more town centre streets to produce further atrocities like the squinty paving stones with the trees growing out of them which have appeared on Church Street? If some pretentious clown wants to create an entry for the Turner Prize, I really wish he would take his misguided, artless chunterings as far away from Inverness Town Centre as possible and simply let the traffic flow instead.

[culduthel]

I returned to the Sneck 2 years ago after an absence of about 11 years ( have been back again once again earlier this year) and one of the biggest changes that struck me right away me was the growth in all the greenery around the Town - for example- the hedge at the first Tee of Culcabok Golf Club. You used to be able to stand behind the hedge and watch people Tee-Off down the first fairway. The hedge would have been about chest high at the most. Nowadays the hedge must be about 10 - 12 foot high.

Same goes for lots of other trees and greenery around the town. What were once saplings are now tall trees. What were once small bushes are now massive hedges. Unusual I know, but that was the change that struck me most.

The centre of the town although changed, still felt very much like the Inverness of old. It was only once you got beyond the old town boundaries into the new built up areas that it felt different. However, given that it is still peopled mainly by Invernessians it still maintains that unique Inverness community feel. May it never be lost.

[reefinweedallday]

I returned to the Sneck 2 years ago after an absence of about 11 years ( have been back again once again earlier this year) and one of the biggest changes that struck me right away me was the growth in all the greenery around the Town - for example- the hedge at the first Tee of Culcabok Golf Club. You used to be able to stand behind the hedge and watch people Tee-Off down the first fairway. The hedge would have been about chest high at the most. Nowadays the hedge must be about 10 - 12 foot high.

Same goes for lots of other trees and greenery around the town. What were once saplings are now tall trees. What were once small bushes are now massive hedges. Unusual I know, but that was the change that struck me most.

The centre of the town although changed, still felt very much like the Inverness of old. It was only once you got beyond the old town boundaries into the new built up areas that it felt different. However, given that it is still peopled mainly by Invernessians it still maintains that unique Inverness community feel. May it never be lost.

There most definitely is not a community feel about Inverness anymore,from the decaying town centre to the soulless housing schemes,City status has destroyed our once great town

[Scotty]

the decaying town centre

Thats the word I was looking for.

[absent friend]

It is strange when you use the word 'decaying' it makes you think of run down etc. but having just returned from Northern Italy, it was all 'decaying'. Roads through villages that would just allow a bus to squeeze through and inside was traditional homes, having their walls scraped. But they were not bulldozed for modernisation.

The small alleyways in Verona with all the cafe bars - look up and all the outside walls are bulged and eroded with age BUT still standing and adding feel to the city. They have not been bulldozes for modernisation.

Cars, bikes, shoppers all seem to co-exist without the need for enormous pavements or pedestrian areas at the expense of the historic city/ town/village.

We have watched the heart and character of Inverness been ripped out and replaced by concrete boxes, over the years, with little resistance from the planning department. No doubt they will quote EU Reg..?.,Sec..?., but is Italy not also in the same EU and they appear to be able to ignore any EU regulations on planning, assuming that is the reason for the rape of the Highland Capital.

I mourn for Eastgate of old, Inglis Street and especially Bridge Street (I would even have kept the old bridge and made the busses scrape through there too)!!

[Caley Stan]

I left Inverness 8 years ago and it's changed a fair bit even in that time.

Every time i come home another soulless estate has appeared on the fields i used to play on. Many Invernesians don't live within walking distance of a shop, pub or school. Community spirit doesn't stand a chance in these areas.

I still love the town centre though. I don't find it run down at all, though that's in comparison with the towns of the central belt rather than the Inverness of old. While the shops in the town centre have been hit hard by the ever-expanding supermarkets, retail parks and malls, it still sustains a lot of pubs and cafes. In terms of nightlife, Inverness offers a lot more to young people than it did when i left. Most weekends we have a choice of 5 or 6 live bands, and bars like Hootenanny's and Foxes are packed with people of all ages.

I won't try to defend the streetscape as i haven't had to put up the disruption, except to say that the town centre needed to change in order to attract people away from the retail parks. I hope it works out in the long term.

I was in Coutts for an organic espresso last week as it happens. They practice 'alternative therapy' upstairs but i gave that a miss.

[CaleyHE]

Aye, PC Coutts, stocked the Caley strip. Shetland Originals on the corner of Bridge Street. Clive Rowland the outdoor shop long before Tisos or Nevisport arrived. Leakey the bookshop in the market before he moved to the Greig St bridge. Melvens bookshop. L. Gavin's. All those highland outfitters and gun and saddle shops. Going out past the Caley Park by Muir of Ord before the bridge was built. Ach I know that was before 1994, I'm getting carried away :thumb04: :018:

Haha, i used to sell my poor mother's hardback books to Charles Leakey for a Saturday night carry oot when i was in school.. ;)

When I was back in April, I thought it looked a little run-down (the town centre that is). When I was back a few weeks ago, I thought it was like a ghost town. Admittedly, the roadworks everywhere dont help, but it just didnt feel vibrant any more.

I hope the credit crunch and other factors that may be affecting the town centre ease somewhat and it bounces back, but its obvious times are tough when you walk through it.

I feel the same when i go back Scotty, i think its gone right downhill, maybe its things that were always their, but as i stayed their i didnt notice so much, but i wouldnt have thought so.

[Charles Bannerman]

Haha, i used to sell my poor mother's hardback books to Charles Leakey for a Saturday night carry oot when i was in school..

What kind of money did the man actually pay for books? My only dealing with him was when I placed two manky looking tomes from his shelves on his counter and he tried to charge me 18 quid for them! I left them lying there and departed, making voluble and unfavourable comparisons between his establishment and a jumble sale.

[ar78]

Haha, i used to sell my poor mother's hardback books to Charles Leakey for a Saturday night carry oot when i was in school..

What kind of money did the man actually pay for books? My only dealing with him was when I placed two manky looking tomes from his shelves on his counter and he tried to charge me 18 quid for them! I left them lying there and departed, making voluble and unfavourable comparisons between his establishment and a jumble sale.

Leakey pays well, or did to me, i've sold him a few books, Uni books, Scottish history, random stuff. The same kind of books down south you would get about 1/4 of what Leakey gave you, quite suprised.

[CaleyHE]

He used to pay well, believe it or not, not sure if it still is but it was the largest independent bookshop in the UK at one time, or he claimed it was. after xmas was epsecially fruitfull for the new years carry oot with unwanted books for christmas.

I know what you mean about the jumble sale though, when he had the shop along ness bank it could have done with a blast of mr sheen & a wee dust.

[clacher_holiday2]

Last couple of times I've been back in Inverness I've noticed the place being a bit run down, the people wandering around the town center all alone looked pretty depressed! Given the jobs and property available in the area there doesnt seem a great deal for people to look forward to locally, as has always been the case the towns most talented (or those with aspirations beyond living on this or that side of the river) have headed south.

Which is probably why I'm moving back next month IT's for work but it could turn out to be a terible mistake

[The Mantis]

I always thought Leakey was a miserable git and his prices appeared higher than Edinburgh.

Since I don't live in the Sneck I never took him any books but I saw him deal with somebody once who had a pile of books and I felt sorry for the poor guy who got a few measly pence for a couple of them and had to cart the rest away again

Also, pure gossip, but I got a couple of lovely Neil Gunn signed copies from the woman in the market once. I accidentally got her onto the subject of Leakey and she didn't half go into a rant :thumb04:

[Charles Bannerman]

Also, pure gossip, but I got a couple of lovely Neil Gunn signed copies from the woman in the market once. I accidentally got her onto the subject of Leakey and she didn't half go into a rant

Well you can add my rant to your anecdotal evidence!

[Glen Mhor]

Tom Morton used to give Leakey a good slagging in his Iversneckie articles in The Hootsman.

Never bought anything very much in his shop but I did pick up a rare book on the Spanish Civil War there once, but it was expensive !

[The Mantis]

I got a letter published in the Hootsmon about 1992 or 3, when Morton was slagging off Sneckie and in particular its football teams. Just after he had his whisky series with the motorbike and he was full of himself......

[Charles Bannerman]

Just after he had his whisky series with the motorbike and he was full of himself......

You mean that was the only time he was full of himself????

[dead_ball_specialist]

Haha, i used to sell my poor mother's hardback books to Charles Leakey for a Saturday night carry oot when i was in school..

What kind of money did the man actually pay for books? My only dealing with him was when I placed two manky looking tomes from his shelves on his counter and he tried to charge me 18 quid for them! I left them lying there and departed, making voluble and unfavourable comparisons between his establishment and a jumble sale.

He's usually willing to barter, you obviously lack the gift of the gab. :P

[Charles Bannerman]

Haha, i used to sell my poor mother's hardback books to Charles Leakey for a Saturday night carry oot when i was in school..

What kind of money did the man actually pay for books? My only dealing with him was when I placed two manky looking tomes from his shelves on his counter and he tried to charge me 18 quid for them! I left them lying there and departed, making voluble and unfavourable comparisons between his establishment and a jumble sale.

He's usually willing to barter, you obviously lack the gift of the gab.

Naw, we were just a little bit too far apart. I thought he said 80 but he actually said 18. However I also thought he meant pence whereas he was looking for pounds!! :P

[+DoofersDad]

A bit of unfair Leakey bashing here I think. He is one business man who has tried to do a lot to preserve the charecter of the city centre and we need more like him. Remember he runs a business and not a charity bookshop. Why would you expect him to pay big money for books he probably won't be able to sell and which, if he didn't buy, you would probably give to a charity shop in any case.

He has a vast stock of books which are going to be of no interest to the vast majority of people. This means he offers choice to the specialist collector and his is the place to go to if you are looking for specialist stuff. The flip side of the range he offers is that buyers can expect to pay a sensible price for what they buy. If you don't want to pay that price then good luck in finding the same book somewhere else.

He also sells the best soup in town.

If only there were a few more like Charles we could be replying to this thread saying Inverness has changed for the better.

[Charles Bannerman]

A bit of unfair Leakey bashing here I think. He is one business man who has tried to do a lot to preserve the charecter of the city centre and we need more like him. Remember he runs a business and not a charity bookshop. Why would you expect him to pay big money for books he probably won't be able to sell and which, if he didn't buy, you would probably give to a charity shop in any case.

He has a vast stock of books which are going to be of no interest to the vast majority of people. This means he offers choice to the specialist collector and his is the place to go to if you are looking for specialist stuff. The flip side of the range he offers is that buyers can expect to pay a sensible price for what they buy. If you don't want to pay that price then good luck in finding the same book somewhere else.

He also sells the best soup in town.

If only there were a few more like Charles we could be replying to this thread saying Inverness has changed for the better.

I'd be interested to see what his percentage mark up is! It's not so much a case of finding the same book elsewhere as making a value judgement as to whether a couple of manky old tomes are worth the funny money he charges.

I remember the situation so well. It was around 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon in September 2005 and I was in his shop just browsing. There were a couple of books that sort of took my fancy - somewhat festering hardbacks that might have been quite readable after a damn good fumigation - so I thought I'd take them. As it happens I was also wired into my wee radio, intent on ICT's sterling efforts at Celtic Park to convert a 1-2 scoreline into a great away point which were somewhat distracting me.

When I plonked them on the desk I RECKONED I heard him say "eighty" and I thought "pretty decent bargain!" but said to him "did you say eighty".

"No... eighteen" came the reply.

"Bloody hell!" I thought as I searched in my pocket while Barry Wilson pinged in a very decent corner. "Even better prices than the School Fete!"

Given that I needed to keep my pound coin for Safeways car park, I placed a ?2 on the counter, hoping he would be OK for change - whereupon Mr L looked at me disdainfully and said "Eighteen pounds!"

"WHUTT!" I ejaculated (verbally) "Eighteen quid for a couple of old books!" And with all the dignity I could muster, as Ian Black blasted yet another speculative 30 yarder goalwards, I picked up my ?2 coin from which I had confidently expected ?1.82 change and marched out of the shop whose door I have never since darkened.

One of the books actuially had 27 and sixpence on its original pricetag and this comedian was wanting about nine quid for it 30 odd years on!

Edited March 1, 2010 by Charles Bannerman