BILL McALLISTER: Exploring Inverness's fascinating shopping scene of 80 years ago
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A GLIMPSE into the Inverness shopping and business scene 80 years ago uncovers many long-gone names, others who existed until the recent past and a few still trading.
The 1942 Burgh Directory reveals that Inverness’s population was only 22,000 – with the Dalneigh and Hilton housing schemes yet to be launched in the post-war era.
Hugh Mackenzie was Provost and the Town Council’s committees included one on Air Raid Precautions. Sir Murdoch Macdonald, the noted architect, was MP.
It’s interesting to see how far we’ve come. For instance, the Caledonian Hotel (now Mercure) in Church Street described itself as “the social centre of the Highlands” and boasted of “running water in all rooms”.
Chemist J Cameron of 4 Greig Street and 54 Grant Street advertised ‘Pure Drugs’, which might command police attention nowadays!
The Palace Cinema in Huntly Street advertised: “See and hear Talkies at their Best”, adding: “Defy the Blackout and enjoy a great night’s entertainment”.
Melvens bakers and confectioners, with tearooms at 25 Castle Street and 12 Eastgate, stressed: “Motoring and Excursion Parties catered for” – while Thomas Skinner, bakers was in Stephen’s Brae.
In Church Street, John W Mackenzie, Comfort Shoemakers – whose phone number was Inverness 11! – declared: “We fit with X-Ray Ped-o-Scope”, which sounds painful…
A & D Macdonald, butchers, 33 Union Street, had the clever telegram address “Sirloin Inverness”.
Still in the same spot at 8 Queensgate Arcade today is fishmonger Duncan Fraser, which began there in 1927. Graham & Co Gunmakers in Union Street has also survived, now based in Castle Street.
The Dundee Equitable Boot Depot, as it was called, had branches in 55 Academy Street and 32 High Street until a few years ago and it was the longest-standing business in the High Street.
Also in the High Street were shops like Thomas Mackenzie “chemist and photo dealer”, Athenaeum Tobacco Company, Woolworths (of happy memory), Birrell the confectioners, Price the tailors and similar outlets Jacksons, Hepworths and Montague Burton, which only moved out a few years ago. On the same street were grocers William Low and Liptons, Mackays Bookshop, the Billiard Saloon, and Boots the chemist, which moved to Eastgate Centre in the ‘60s.
Timpson shoe shop continued until fairly recently but the Clan Tartan Warehouse, Conn D’Or restaurant, Maypole Dairy, Jeans’ ladies fashions, Macdonald & Mackintosh licensed grocers and Chalmers fruiterers have all disappeared.
Gavins, the watchmaker and jeweller, however, lasted until comparatively recently.
MacRae and Dick then had premises in Academy Street, while Eastgate boasted the Buttercup Dairy, Riggs the butcher, confectioner A Donati, Wordie carting contractor, Baxters nurserymen, and the two auction marts, Hamiltons and Macdonald Fraser. Oh, and John Macdonald “horse shoer”!
McGruther and Marshall coal merchants was in 1 Church Street and still exists nowadays as port agents in Longman Quay. Another coal merchants, J MacPherson, was in Baron Taylor’s Street.
In Abban Street was Mackintosh’s lemonade factory – or, as they advertised: “St Abban’s Gold Medal Aerated Table Waters”.
MacIvers furnishers was 68 Church Street and 45/49 Academy Street with a phone number of Inverness 46 – and they continued in Academy Street until the 1990s.
Chisholm the undertakers, established 1878, and in 10 George Street in 1942, still flourishes.
Intriguingly, three legal firms are still to the fore 80 years on – Innes & Mackay and Macandrew & Jenkins, both then in Royal Bank buildings, and Anderson, Shaw & Gilbert – who stretch back to 1811 – then in Church Street. DH MacNeill, High Street, and EG Critchley, Fraser Street, later merged to be MacNeill & Critchley.
Among the vanished law businesses are Black & Imrie, Fraser & MacCallum and Mackenzie & Munro, all in Academy Street.
The late, lamented Rose Street Foundry, now closed over 20 years after a glittering railway engineering past, was described as “shipbuilders and marine engineers” in 1942 as well as being “agents for motor ploughs and all classes of agricultural implements”.
The commercial face of Inverness is much changed. How many of today’s businesses will be trading 80 years on?
n Sponsored by Ness Castle Lodges.
