Description of Wick

[coastown]

I received this snippet from a newspaper, from a family member.
Robert Louis Stevensons description of Wick.
One of Scotlands meanest of mans towns.
And situated certainly on the "coldest of gods bays."

[North Rhins]

He was exaggerating; I didn’t think Wick was that good! (Only kidding). :lol:

[EDDIE]

Wick is the only place i know were the window cleaners use sandpaper to clean the windows lol

[r.rackstraw]

I think RLS said the 'baldest of God's bays'.

[North Rhins]

Letter: TO MRS. THOMAS STEVENSON

WICK, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1868.
MY DEAR MOTHER, - . . . Wick lies at the end or elbow of an open triangular bay, hemmed on either side by shores, either cliff or steep earth-bank, of no great height. The grey houses of Pulteney extend along the southerly shore almost to the cape; and it is about half-way down this shore - no, six-sevenths way down - that the new breakwater extends athwart the bay.
Certainly Wick in itself possesses no beauty: bare, grey shores, grim grey houses, grim grey sea; not even the gleam of red tiles; not even the greenness of a tree. The southerly heights, when I came here, were black with people, fishers waiting on wind and night. Now all the S.Y.S. (Stornoway boats) have beaten out of the bay, and the Wick men stay indoors or wrangle on the quays with dissatisfied fish-curers, knee-high in brine, mud, and herring refuse. The day when the boats put out to go home to the Hebrides, the girl here told me there was 'a black wind'; and on going out, I found the epithet as justifiable as it was picturesque. A cold, BLACK southerly wind, with occasional rising showers of rain; it was a fine sight to see the boats beat out a-teeth of it.
In Wick I have never heard any one greet his neighbour with the usual 'Fine day' or 'Good morning.' Both come shaking their heads, and both say, 'Breezy, breezy!' And such is the atrocious quality of the climate, that the remark is almost invariably justified by the fact.
The streets are full of the Highland fishers, lubberly, stupid, inconceivably lazy and heavy to move. You bruise against them, tumble over them, elbow them against the wall - all to no purpose; they will not budge; and you are forced to leave the pavement every step.
To the south, however, is as fine a piece of coast scenery as I ever saw. Great black chasms, huge black cliffs, rugged and over- hung gullies, natural arches, and deep green pools below them, almost too deep to let you see the gleam of sand among the darker weed: there are deep caves too. In one of these lives a tribe of gipsies. The men are ALWAYS drunk, simply and truthfully always. From morning to evening the great villainous-looking fellows are either sleeping off the last debauch, or hulking about the cove 'in the horrors.' The cave is deep, high, and airy, and might be made comfortable enough.

Nothing new there then. (Still only kidding).

[North Rhins]

There’s plenty more where that came from. I don’t our Robert was too enamoured with Wick.
http://robert-louis-stevenson.classic-literature.co.uk/the-letters-of-robert-louis-stevenson-volume-1/

[George Brims]

Robert certainly didn't enjoy his time in Wick. He eventually ended up here - http://www.iolanipalace.org/ - where he would play cards and take a dram with the last King of Hawai'i. My guess is he liked the climate, and the town, just a bit better.

[j4bberw0ck]

And you thought Wick had problems? (http://www.cs.rice.edu/%7Essiyer/minstrels/poems/1521.html) :lol::lol:

Hopefully, since it's a recognised work of poetry and widely published, the Wrath of The Mods will be avoided......

[jimbews]

I don’t our Robert was too enamoured with Wick.


Anything to do with the fact that the breakwater his father built was rather a disaster.

I've even seen it quoted in an old geography book as an example of the power of the sea. From what I remember (from the book - I'm not that old!) it was built round an existing rock, reputed to be several thousand tons. One storm later - that rock got popped out like a cork, and the rest is history.

I also seem to remember suggestions that father Stevenson was not as great an engineer as has been claimed - rather built his reputation on the backs of better engineers, but poorer publicists (nothing ever changes). Perhaps father and son were more peeved at not getting the recognition (and deference) they thought they deserved.

[peter macdonald]

Jim I totally agree with your opinion of the Stevensons and Wick The failure (at a then huge cost) of the breakwater confirmed in a report in 1873 was the beginning of the end of Wicks supremacy as chief herring port of Scotland
A revised plan for breakwaters was mooted in 1903 but never put in to action

[jimbews]

it was built round an existing rock, reputed to be several thousand tons.

Should have done a bit of research first., As an example from:
http://www.fettes.com/caithness/wick%20breakwater.htm

"Several attempts were made to construct a breakwater in Wick Bay between 1863 and 1873. The end of the breakwater was capped by an 726 tonne block of concrete that was secured to the foundation by iron rods 9 cm in diameter. In a storm in 1872 Stevenson watched in amazement from a nearby cliff as both cap and foundation, weighing a total of 1225 tons, were removed as a unit and deposited in the water that the wall was supposed to protect. He rebuilt the structure and added a larger cap weighing 2358 tons, which was treated similarly by a storm a few years later."

Interesting what you get to via Google.

[George Brims]

There's a very interesting book called "The Lighthouse Stevensons" that tells the whole story of the Stevenson dynasty of engineers.

[Cattach]

There’s plenty more where that came from. I don’t our Robert was too enamoured with Wick.
http://robert-louis-stevenson.classic-literature.co.uk/the-letters-of-robert-louis-stevenson-volume-1/

Maybe not but rumour has it he got on well with Peggy Soo (sp ?).

[the charlatans]

There's a very interesting book called "The Lighthouse Stevensons" that tells the whole story of the Stevenson dynasty of engineers.

I've read this and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the sea, engineering or lighthouses!

as for RSL's discription of good ole Week, ach he got it on a bad day! its normally 30degrees and sunny at all times. ;)

[Kenn]

Well Wick can be a trifle dour on a lowering winter day but when the sun shines it's no so bad and the coastal sceenery is second to none.
Any more historical clips folk?
References like those given above bring a place to life.

[Julia]

And you thought Wick had problems? (http://www.cs.rice.edu/%7Essiyer/minstrels/poems/1521.html) :lol::lol:

Hopefully, since it's a recognised work of poetry and widely published, the Wrath of The Mods will be avoided......

Excellent stuff J4bberw0ck!

[buggyracer]

quite interesting what he said about thurso,

"On one of fathers rare days off, we travelled to a quaint costal town not more than 20 miles away from Wick, called Thurso. Although only a small number of miles away, the two towns could not be more different, here i found the setting to be a stark contrast to the dreary Wick and the people most friendly and welcoming, i would say Thurso would be a place i would like to visit again, and my only dissapointment with it was the thought of leaving to go back to drab old Wick".


Quite interesting what you can find on google.

[The_man_from_del_monte]

Quite interesting what you can find on google.

I can think of more interesting things to find than "wick" ;)

[gary.b]

quite interesting what he said about thurso,

"On one of fathers rare days off, we travelled to a quaint costal town not more than 20 miles away from Wick, called Thurso. Although only a small number of miles away, the two towns could not be more different, here i found the setting to be a stark contrast to the dreary Wick and the people most friendly and welcoming, i would say Thurso would be a place i would like to visit again, and my only dissapointment with it was the thought of leaving to go back to drab old Wick".


Quite interesting what you can find on google.

That is interesting, is it true that he did once return to build the new ferry terminal at Scrabster?

[Bingobabe]

It was him that built the new pier that fell down up there as well, a poor track record. I wouldnt hire him to rebuild the south river pier anytime soon

[rich]

Never mind the ancient past! What about the Thurso Bridge that was swept away last year????? Any replacement yet....and what are the politicians doing about about it?