Highland Christmases of years gone by – No room at the inn, literally, for Xmas travellers
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Festive travel drama, tragic loss of life in a vicious storm, and the delights of a proper White Christmas were just some of the stories making headlines in festive seasons gone by...
1894
Saturday’s Storm – Damage to Property In The Highlands – Great Loss of Life In The Lews
On Saturday, a north-westerly gale, attaining frequently to hurricane force, swept over Scotland and the middle of England, working havoc on sea and land to a wholesale extent, and resulting in the loss of many lives by shipping and other disasters. In these visitations the Lews, exposed as the Island is to every wind that blows, with a large fishing population, is liable to suffer in an exceptional way, and we are sorry to say that on this occasion the melancholy result was the loss of 19 lives in the neighbourhood of Stornoway.
The results of the storm can only be indicated by a touch here and there. Shipping disasters occurred on all parts of the coast, but owing to the collapse of the telegraph wires in the south of Scotland and north of England, where the brunt of the storm was experienced, details of the lives lost are not known.
1944
Correspondence – Sliding on pavements
Sir - May I emphatically endorse every word of “War-Worker’s” letter re sliding on pavements. I left Inverness in 1903 after 20 years’ residence, during which time “death traps” were much in evidence. Returning in 1938 I ventured to hope that 40 years’ absence, plus so-called progress, might have succeeded in improving them off the face of the earth. Alas, such is not the case! Is it beyond the wit of man – e.g. some local brains-trust – to take this much-needed step in the right direction? Yours, etc, Voluntary Evacuee.
1951
Stormy Christmas Eve in Inverness – High Winds and Heavy Rain
Stormy weather, with high winds and frequent rain showers, was experienced in Inverness and district yesterday, Christmas Eve, and over the week-end.
The gale force winds experienced throughout the north on Friday interrupted air and shipping services.
At Benbecula the service plane from Glasgow, which calls at the island before proceeding to Stornoway and Inverness, landed, but was unable to take off owing to heavy gusts of wind.
The fourteen passengers, including nine University students, who were flying home to Stornoway and Inverness for Christmas, were stranded at Benbecula, and, to make matters worse, they had no luggage, as this had been left behind at Glasgow to make room for the mails.
Benbecula’s only hotel could not accommodate all the travellers, and some of them had to cross to the neighbouring island of South Uist, where they found hotel accommodation. On Saturday normal services were operated on north air routes, and all the passengers reached their destinations.
1979
Christmas-tide in the North – Varied Celebrations
With the closures of the schools to-day (Friday), preparations for Christmas enter their final phase. The town looks daily more festive, both in the shopping centre and residential areas, while the hospitals and other buildings have once again bravely tempted fate – or the weather – by decorating outside trees.
Already many special services and entertainments have been held, there are many more to come, and people interested should consult our advertising columns to discover what is going on where. Several churches will have gift services and/or nativity plays on Sunday and carol “Watchnights” on Monday evening. They should also read about the special arrangements made by local authority departments, shops, tradesmen and others.
1981
A White Christmas
Inverness, having celebrated a Christmas white enough, except on main roads and streets, to satisfy anyone “dreaming” of one, is now gearing itself up for Hogmanay and New Year festivities. The long week-end holiday has given the town a somewhat jaded look but the illuminations shine bravely forth, and vandals cannot be blamed for all of those bulbs which have gone out as they are strung far too high across the streets to be reached by individuals without ladders, hoists or cranes to help them.
Many frozen pipes –
Hundreds of families in Inverness and the surrounding area were without a water supply, or had to bear the problem of burst pipes during the big freeze over Christmas.
The busiest people in the area over the holiday were the men manning the District Council’s property maintenance department emergency repair service, who dealt with between 200 and 300 calls for help from council house tenants from Christmas Eve until yesterday.
