View Full Version : I have found an old Thurso bottle.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/Rheghead/Thursobottle.jpg
I have found this 5" old bottle in the garden which has an embossed inscription
"D&R CAIRNIE CHEMISTS THURSO"
Does anyone know where and when this Chemist was trading in Thurso? And does anyone else think it is admirable that a local old chemist can personalise its products so professionally?
Also, is it worth anything and would the new museum be interested?:confused
Thanks
EDIT Is this chemist the very same mentioned in this webpage (http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/memoir/cairnie1915.htm)?
Thats brilliant! Remind me of when I was little, my day used to collect old bottles and go digging for them down here. I think he was even a member of a bottle club....
The Alan Cairnie mentioned in the webpage connection must live in my area. His e-mail address is "@cogeco" which is the cable server for this part of southwestern Ontario.
Often, in my youth, I heard folks refering to Cairnies the Chemist but can't, for the life of me, remember which one. There were only three chemists in town and the only one shifted was Macgregors, where Top Joes is now. Henry Munro and Peterkin were of a similar age, as was Macgregor so it could have been either of the three. I will push the old computer to try retrieve the info which is hidden deep.:)
Jeemag_USA
19-Jun-07, 15:48
WOW :eek:
That has to be pretty old, brilliant find, has to be worth preserving and I am sure there would be a museum interested. Or clen it up and find a good cork for it and keep it yourself!
Well done!!
EVEN JUST AS CURIOSITY PIECE IT,S WELL WORTH KEEPING TO DISPLAY YOURSELF. AS JEEMAC SAYS TRY & GET A CORK TO FIT IT :cool:
kwbrown111
19-Jun-07, 16:23
Cairnies was where Williamsons Chemist is. The window above door says Cairnies
Cairnies was where Williamsons Chemist is. The window above door says Cairnies
pretty good give away! hehe:lol:
thirsaloon
19-Jun-07, 16:57
It was common practice for owners of shops etc to have bottles, stone bottles etc with their logo, name of firm etc stamped or embossed on it. Cairnie was also the gentleman who took the famous whales of Thurso beach photograph in 1899 when 106 whales were captured. His son Robert took over the business until he sold it to Munro. Then to John Williamson.
The bracket for the metal sign can still be seen just above the door on the stone work. As mentioned there is still the glass sign above the door. This block of shops was built on the site of the Free Church which was demolished in 1900. I am involved with Thurso Museum so if you are ever looking for a home for it we would only be to delighted to look after it for you.
pretty good give away! hehe:lol:
Only if you are observant, hehe!!!
No longer Williamson if you are observant!! - Vantage but owned, I think, by same company as Sutherlands across the road. Excellent Pharmacist willing to give freely of his knowledge medicaction. Said that it was bought to keep Boots out as town is only allowed three Chemists shops - allegedly!!
What an exciting find, Rheghead! I am intrigued, as I had not heard of such a chemist in Thurso, and all the historical information that is coming forth is really interesting! It's also quite a coincidence of fate that the chemist's bottle was found many years later by you, another chemist! :D
I hope you will donate it to Thurso Museum - I think that would be the right thing to do!
What an exciting find, Rheghead! ... It's also quite a coincidence of fate that the chemist's bottle was found many years later by you, another chemist!
Perhaps the fairies planted it for him to find.
Jeemag_USA
19-Jun-07, 19:09
Cairnies was where Williamsons Chemist is. The window above door says Cairnies
Its amazing what you don't notice, lived in Thurso for over 30 years and never even saw that [lol]
PS Reghead, I would keep digging if I was you, you might end up with enough stuff for your own museum!
Its amazing what you don't notice, lived in Thurso for over 30 years and never even saw that [lol]
PS Reghead, I would keep digging if I was you, you might end up with enough stuff for your own museum!
I lived in Thurso for 20 years, and don't remember seeing it either! I'm quite ashamed to admit I don't remember, especially as I pride myself on my good memory! I can remember so many shops, etc. from days of old in Thurso, and even the colour their doors and window frames were painted in the late 50s to late 70s. But I canna mind 'e Cairnie windae!
thirsaloon
19-Jun-07, 20:19
The window is acid etched and the best view of it is from inside the shop. Its a nice wee touch and its grand to see that it has survived for so long.
If anyone could take a photo of the etched window, and post it on here, that would be great! I would love to see it! :)
thirsaloon
20-Jun-07, 12:18
I'll see what I can do and take a photograph for you!
Thanks so much, thirsaloon! :)
Thanks for alerting me to this message. David Dandie Cairnie was my grandfather (1853-1916). He was trained at Duncan and Flockhart's in Edinburgh and was registered at Thurso in 1877. I am interested in the D&R Cairnie aspect as his older brother was a chemist in Cowdenbeath - did they order bottles together? Alternatively, it was his son Robert (1885-1971) who is referred to. He was apprenticed with his father by the 1901 census and registered in 1907. He left the army in 1916 to take over the business. All four of D.D.'s children were chemists except my father who went off to Edinburgh University. One son is on the War Memorial in Thurso. He and his sisters ran chemists shops in Brora or Golspie.
Someone found me through my father's diaries from the First World War. He served in the 5th Seaforths,raised in Caithness and Sutherland. Later he had a fascinating time in East Africa. His diaries are at http://www.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/cairnie1915.htm
just change the year at the end to get the other years.
No-one from the family lives at Thurso now but I visited in April this year and enjoyed my visit very much.
Thank you.
Alan Cairnie
Brockville,Ontario
Lolabelle
21-Jun-07, 07:38
Wow, how fasinating all this is, just from a bit of digging around in your garden. New members too. It's brilliant.
Nice to meet you Cairnie
Thanks for alerting me to this message. ...
Alan Cairnie
Brockville,Ontario
cairnie, welcome to the "org" as we affectionately refer to the forum section of Caithness.org. There are a goodly number of North Americans in the group and several members from Ontario. Most are Caithness transplants but some of us are simply vocal groupies.
Thanks for alerting me to this message. David Dandie Cairnie was my grandfather (1853-1916). He was trained at Duncan and Flockhart's in Edinburgh and was registered at Thurso in 1877.
No-one from the family lives at Thurso now but I visited in April this year and enjoyed my visit very much.
Thank you.
Alan Cairnie
Brockville,Ontario
A friendly welcome Alan Cairnie,
I lived in Thurso when a bairnie,
And as a young adult too.
Glad you visited the toon,
Where your grandpa was a chemist,
His green bottle's sparked our int'rest!
Jeemag_USA
21-Jun-07, 19:00
great piece of History Cairnie, thanks. Welcome to the site, this is indeed an interesting thread!
Many thanks for sharing your Bottle Story with us - and for the Cairnie input - I have not yet read all of the diaries, but boy ! it's going to be interesting.
Trinkie
thirsaloon
22-Jun-07, 13:13
Hello Orgers!
I have arranged to do a photograph of the window and will post it in the next couple of days or so.
By the way, how do you get photo's on this? Have a piccy of Cairnie I could add here if anyone wants to see the man himself.
I would love to see a photo of Mr Cairnie, thanks :)
BTW See the photography section for instructions to post pictures
Hello Orgers!
I have arranged to do a photograph of the window and will post it in the next couple of days or so.
By the way, how do you get photo's on this? Have a piccy of Cairnie I could add here if anyone wants to see the man himself.
Yay, three cheers fur thirsaloon!
Ah'm really o'er 'e moon,
Lookan' forward til photae o' windae,
An' photae o' David D Cairnie! :)
thirsaloon
23-Jun-07, 16:22
I have the photo of Cairnie and just home from doing the one of the window. The window Im going to try again and use a black material behind it as the outside frame work of the exterior doors gets in the way! So its not as good as I wanted.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to get them on here! :roll:
This is such a brill. thread. I am off to dig in my garden to se what I can find!
thirsaloon
23-Jun-07, 21:01
Ok guys and gals, I think I got this photo thingy sorted if I did it's many thank you's to Bobinovich, if I didnt then its me to blame!
Im going to do the window photograph again, it was kind of difficult to get with the ceiling lights hanging down, the wooden frame work from the external doors outside which are the orginals and a wobbly ladder or was that just me!
Anyhoo here is piccys of Cairnie the chemist which I had at home and the window.
Cheers!
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/CairnietheChemist.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/Cairniewindow.jpg
thirsaloon
23-Jun-07, 21:05
Ach for a bonus to you Orgers here's another two piccys I came across in the house, Cairnie standing behind the counter and one of his staff behind the second counter which used to be in the shop - not that I remember it!!!
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/Cairnieinsideshop.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/Cairniesstaffinsideshop.jpg
thirsaloon
23-Jun-07, 21:25
Just to make it a bit more complete here is the front of Cairnie's shop with his son Robert standing at the door and Cairnie himself standing beside the woman who is thought to be Peggy Sue in her early years, a Thurso character for those to young to remember! She also had a sister Dinah who resided at Back Shore Street for a wee while and kept loads of cats. They also a brother who if I remember correctly was called David but he drowned on the Titanic in 1912. His body was identified by the unusal tattoo's he had.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/CairnieShop.jpg
thirsaloon
23-Jun-07, 22:31
Hello again, I mentioned in a previous post that the Free Church stood on the site of where Cairnie the chemist shop was built. This church was opened in June 1844. If you look to the extreme right of the photograph you will see the top of the Meadow Well and the gable end of the Royal Hotel.
The minister was Walter Ross Taylor who preached in four churches in Thurso. He was at Old St. Peters Church, the Established Church (St. Peters and St. Andrews - Princess Street) and the First Free Church (St. Andrews - Olrig Street).
The Post Office then moved into the Free Church in Traill Street in 1883 before moving further up to the Royal Hotel and then Sinclair Street. This is the church below in the piccy which stood on the site before Cairnie's.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/FreeChurch.jpg
The Caithness and Sutherland Industrial and Art Exibition was held in here in 1876 after the building was no longer used as a church. It was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It had various exhibits including two salmon caught in Thurso River, one weighed 42 pounds and the other 50 pounds. Below is one of the medals which was awarded for the prizes.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/industrialandartexhibitionmedal.jpg
Bobinovich
24-Jun-07, 00:01
Sterling stuff Thirsaloon - I forsee you being very busy on the Org if you continue to enlighten us with such detail :lol:!
This is fantastic, thirsaloon! Even more photos than I was expecting! :D Mr Cairnie was rather a distinguished looking gentleman, wasn't he? The window is beautiful - I am so glad it still remains after all these years! The outside of the chemist shop looks much the same as it did when it was Munro's in the 60s and 70s (with the exception of the writing on the shop windows). The pillars were still in the shop then, and I seem to remember the shelves being the same too. Any idea who the busts were of, and the year the photos were taken?
I was also fascinated by the photo of the Free Church, which stood there beforehand. Interesting history lesson along with it, and nice to see a pic of the exhibition medal also! Well done, thirsaloon, and many thanks! :)
thirsaloon
24-Jun-07, 15:49
Thanks for the compliments and those who sent me pvt messages, the way things are going I will need my own website for this stuff, no offence Mr Fernie! :lol: (joking honest!)
Below is the Viewfirth from 1940, I also posted it on Bobinovichs bit to do with it being demolished. I'll add some more piccys to my own bitty in the old Thirsa Piccys.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa235/thirsaloon/Viewfirth1940.jpg
Thank you Thirsaloon for posting those photos, it was really interesting, I didn't quite expect this much info would be available. :)
Thirsaloon.
Brilliant postings and a really enjoyable trip down memory lane for all ages. Keep up the good work.
Tubthumper
25-Jun-07, 12:44
Excellent stuff Thirsaloon. Maybe this warrants a place of its own on the org right enough!
thirsaloon
25-Jun-07, 13:04
Thanks for the compliments folks, glad your enjoying the info and photographs. Would appreciate if anyone can add anymore photograph’s. I’m sure a lot of you may have photo’s that’s stuck in an old box or drawer.
Often the ones taken with a box brownie are every bit as interesting cause they show stuff that the professional photographers of the day wouldn’t look at. I’ll add a few more in my old Thurso piccy section in the next day or so.
Oh and thanks for adding to my reputation bit on here to, very good of you! I’m sure I should get my own website the way this is going!!! :lol:
Alas, way beyond my pc skills! :roll:
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