Old Thirsa Piccys

[plasticjock]

Esplanade circa 1900

Braal Castle, Halkirk circa 1900

[plasticjock]

Clett Rock circa 1900 note the boat coming round from the right and also the sedamentary rock formation detail. No wonder flagging was a major industry in the area.

Thurso from the South circa 1900

[plasticjock]

Thurso town from Springpark circa 1900

Janet Street and the Mall circa 1900

[plasticjock]

Olrig Street circa 1900


Scrabster Bay circa 1900

[plasticjock]

Princes Street circa 1900 note Gair's Temperance Hotel on the far right.

Sir John's Square circa 1900 Visible is the wheel marks of a horse drawn cart where the driver has taken his horse to the water trough.

[plasticjock]

Traill Street circa 1900. Love the stylised shop-sign of a flexed arm holding a big key above Anderson's store in the one-storey building on the near left.

Thurso Castle circa 1900

[Buttercup]

Thanks plasticjock. Nice to see the old thread being revived.

[Sporran]

I'm posting a series of photographs that were in an album published by Russell & Leslie of Traill Street. The album, entitled 'Photographic View Album of Thurso & Vicinity', was published in 1903.
The pictures are on matt paper and are attached to loose-leaf pages held together with (faded) red string.
Versions of most of these have been posted in Old Thursa Piccies.
What is different about these pictures, most of which have appeared on postcards or in books about Thurso, is the sharpness of detail that is visible on the original prints and captured during scanning at 1200 pixels. Some of it is lost when posted to an image hosting service. If anyone would like a large image scan of any of the pictures, please pm me.

What an absolutely fabulous series of photos, Plasticjock! The sharpness of detail is amazing, and superior to anything I've seen in Thurso photos from that era.

I'm wondering if that is Viewfirth and the Castlegreen Manse (Green Acre?) on the hill in the photo looking towards the town from Springpark. Also Viewfirth on the hill again, maybe, in the photo of the bay taken from just above Holborn Head Lighthouse. The white building on the right must surely be Scrabster House, is it not?

Many thanks for keeping this thread alive with your wonderful pictorial contributions, Plasticjock!

With much appreciation,

Sporran

[Buttercup]

What an absolutely fabulous series of photos, Plasticjock! The sharpness of detail is amazing, and superior to anything I've seen in Thurso photos from that era.

I'm wondering if that is Viewfirth and the Castlegreen Manse (Green Acre?) on the hill in the photo looking towards the town from Springpark. Also Viewfirth on the hill again, maybe, in the photo of the bay taken from just above Holborn Head Lighthouse. The white building on the right must surely be Scrabster House, is it not?

Many thanks for keeping this thread alive with your wonderful pictorial contributions, Plasticjock!

With much appreciation,

Sporran

I may be wrong but I think the white building is too far over to be Scrabster House, the only place I can think of is Pennyland Farm, but would agree to the other being Viewfirth.
I would say about the other photo, that the building to the left with the house front facing you is Castlegreen Manse and the other slightly to the right of it is Viewfirth.

[Sporran]

Now that I've had another look, Buttercup, I agree that the white building is too far over to the Thurso side to be Scrabster House. It could well be Pennyland Farm, as you suggest. As regards the other photo - yes, it was the one facing us on the left that I thought was probably the Castlegreen Manse, with Viewfirth being the one slightly to the right of it.

[wifie]

Fantasic pics plasticjock - thanks for sharing! Great to see more being added to this fabulous thread. Must have another really good look for more details like the arm and key sign - thanks for pointing it out!

[plasticjock]

Fantasic pics plasticjock - thanks for sharing! Great to see more being added to this fabulous thread. Must have another really good look for more details like the arm and key sign - thanks for pointing it out!

Thanks wifie. Here is a pic, I can't remember where I downloaded it from (it was somewhere on the messageboard, thanks to the original poster), of the shop adjacent to Andersons.

[plasticjock]

Here are the remaining pics from the 'Photographic View Album of Thurso & Vicinity'.

Thurso Castle from the Lodge circa 1900


The Deil's Brig circa 1900....there's someone perched on top.

[plasticjock]

Old St Peter's Kirk circa 1900


The Miller Academy circa 1900


The John O'Groat Hotel circa 1900

[plasticjock]

Here are a couple of enlargements of the early morning residents of the
Sir John's Square image studiously watching the cameraman taking his picture.

[plasticjock]

Olrig Street circa 1900



Are they selling hot potatoes or peanuts or something similar?
There is a dog by the kerb with his head inside a box or bag as well.

[plasticjock]

Would anybody like to hazard a guess as the what the white line across Olrig Street was for?
Was it a boundary line for the cattle-drovers or street traders?
Perhaps it is a line from the street lamp to guide people across the street in the dark.
I'm intrigued.

[plasticjock]

Would anybody like to hazard a guess as the what the white line across Olrig Street was for?
Was it a boundary line for the cattle-drovers or street traders?
Perhaps it is a line from the street lamp to guide people across the street in the dark.
I'm intrigued.

Here is a picture from the late Henrietta Munro's wonderful book, 'Pictures of Old Thurso and District' (out-of-print, but it's well worth getting hold of a copy), and it shows the bottom end of Olrig Street with the junction of Rotterdam Street at roughly the same period as the picture I posted which would appear to have been taken from the upper right-hand window of Shearer's.
What is noticeable in this picture is that there is another white line across the street from Cardosi's corner.
I'm even more intrigued.
Any ideas....anyone?

[Kenn]

Thank youi plasticjock at least I now know what Thurso castle looked like when it had a roof!

[wifie]

Any chance of an enlargement of the young chappie wi the basket outside Cairnies plasticjock? Sounds daft but he looks awful familiar and I am wondering if he is a distant relative.