Commercial ⋆ Ross and Cromarty Heritage

Dingwall Commercial

Attribution: unknown (Greenhill street in Dingwall looking North)

Cormacks and Crawfords

It all began in the 1920s, when the grandfather of Greg Cormack, the present owner, started work as an apprentice cobbler with Melville’s the Shoe Shop in Inverness. At that time Melville’s had four shops; two in Inverness (one on a site now occupied by the Bank of Scotland, opposite Marks and Spencer), one in Beauly and the fourth in Dingwall, the site at present part of the National Hotel and called the Sports Bar. Greg’s grandfather subsequently moved to the Dingwall shop. At a later stage the opportunity arose to buy the Dingwall shop and grandfather Cormack jumped at the chance. In these days only shoes and boots were sold and so began Cormacks business.

In 1965 the shop moved across the road to the corner site at the junction of Castle Street and the High Street. Castle Bank House, as the name implies, had previously belonged to the Bank of Scotland. Eventually there was an amalgamation with Crawfords the Draper, to become what we know it as today – ‘Cormacks and Crawfords’. The business went from strength to strength and in 1986 a further move was made, this time to the site in the High Street previously occupied by William Lows’ supermarket.

Attribution: unknown

The shop sells a wide range of goods: textiles, bed linen, throws, wools, ladies fashions, children’s clothes and, of course, shoes and boots. A speciality seems to be very attractive cushions of all shapes, colours and sizes.

There are two flats above the shop, overlooking the High Street, and, of recent years, unused space at the rear of the shop has been converted into three apartments, which are rented out.

‘Cormacks and Crawfords’ is well known in Dingwall and the surrounding area as an interesting shop, where customers are always made to feel welcome and receive old-fashioned service.

Pat J Mackenzie

This is the second of three properties on Dingwall’s high street occupied by the firm of Pat J Mackenzie and is now tenanted by Blythswood. The firm now trades from a shop at the west end of high street.

Attribution: unknown

Deas Bakery

The present owner of the Bakery is Mr William Deas. It all began in 1912 when William’s great-grandfather started up a Bakery in Forres. In 1934 his Grandfather moved to Dingwall and bought Wishart’s Bakery at 62 High Street from a Miss C. Wishart. At the beginning the Bakery employed seven people. The family lived in the flat above the shop.

Then in the late sixties the family purchased Brooke’s Bakery at No. 67 High Street, where the present tea-room is situated. It is now called The Central Bakery. Mrs Brooke lived above the shop as was the custom in those days.

Attribution: unknown

The Croft restaurant

In 1971 Baxter’s Construction Co. converted two stable blocks into what is now The Croft Restaurant. The previous owner, a Mr Robertson, had hired out carriages and horses – changed days. The Deas family acquired the Caledonian Hotel in 1973. The building bears the date 1812 incised above the entrance from the High Street. There are now around 30 workers employed, including a few part-time staff. A very popular and successful business.

The 1st and 2nd floors of the Caledonian Hotel have recently been converted into office accommodation. At present (in the year 2000) the first floor is occupied by the Reporter to the Children’s Panel. The second floor is rented by the Social Work Department dealing with Young Offenders.

Attribution: unknown

The National Hotel

The National Hotel, an impressive three-storey Scottish sandstone property of the Victorian era, now a Listed Building, stands in splendour at the heart of the ancient Royal Burgh.

The Hotel is built on a site which, since the tenth century, has been associated with travellers, and it now holds a special place among the communities of Ross and Cromarty as a centre of most major social functions and activities.

The Hotel has 54 en suite bedrooms, all with individual controlled heating, direct dial telephones, colour televisions and tea and coffee making facilities. For many years it was a favourite venue for visiting coach parties but this trade has ceased.

Attribution: unknown

The Bank of Scotland

The Bank of Scotland has operated a branch in Dingwall since 1878 when it took over the High Street office of the City of Glasgow Bank, including its premises, its staff and its agent – John Binning.

In 1908 it took over the premises of the Caledonian Bank, in order to open a branch on Tulloch Street, again retaining the services of the Agent, Mr Benjamin Aird. He held the post until he died (bankrupt!) in 1895.

The two branches were amalgamated in 1961, when modern new premises were built on the corner of the High Street and Tulloch Street. This remains the home of the Bank of Scotland in Dingwall today.

Attribution: unknown

The Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland’s association with Dingwall dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the National Bank of Scotland opened a branch there in 1829. In 1878 Commercial Bank of Scotland also opened a branch in the town, although it closed in the following year and was not reopened until 1906. Finally on 9 May 1923 The Royal Bank of Scotland opened its own branch, known as Dingwall, Hill Street.

In 1959 National Bank of Scotland merged with Commercial Bank of Scotland to form National Commercial Bank of Scotland and two years later their branches in the town were also joined. The resulting branch eventually became known as Dingwall High Street and on 12 January 1970 it combined with the Dingwall Hill Street Branch. This merger was brought about following the amalgamation of National Commercial Bank of Scotland and The Royal Bank of Scotland in 1969.

[Produced by Archive Section, Corporate Affairs, The Royal Bank of Scotland.]

Attribution: unknown

Wm Low / Tesco / Lidl

The previous site occupied by Tesco at Slakefield, off Tulloch Street. The building was refurbished and is now a Lidl supermarket.

The large supermarket owned by Tesco is one of a nation-wide chain. It occupies an area of 20,000 square feet adjacent to the High Street and provides free parking for 100 cars.The present building was erected in 2004. The previous building was erected in 1986 and was owned by Wm Low and Co, who were taken over by Tesco in 1994. The merchandise sold covers all modern household needs; food, cleaning materials, newspapers, magazines, confectionery, wines and spirits, tobacco and flowers. There are facilities for all major credit cards and there is a customer savings scheme. 126 members of staff are employed, both full and part-time and a management training scheme is in operation for schools leavers.

Attribution: unknown

Mackay's Garage

This modern workshop and saleroom opened some years ago having transferred from a site in Tulloch Street, where Lidl’s carpark now is. The business had been established by brothers John and Evan Mackay who also were directors of Ross-shire Laundry which operated on a site adjacent to the garage.

Attribution: unknown

"Woolies"

Woolworths PLC was located in the High Street of Dingwall as one of the company’s most northerly stores with a size relatively small by Woolworth’s standards, i.e. sales floor space of 4000 sq ft.

The branch opened for business in 1962 and employed 17 staff, the majority of which were part-time with several being with the store/company for over 20 years.

“Woolies” was a store where generation after generation of Ross-shire children took their first steps in Ladybird clothes, played first with Woolworths toys, drawn their first pictures using Woolworths stationery, bought their favourite CDs and presents for their parents and grandparents.

Families knew that whatever they needed or wanted, it would be found in the heart of the high street of Dingwall in Woolworths.

Sadly, Woolworths closed nationally in 2008, but the building was refurbished and opened as The Factory Shop in 2010.

Attribution: unknown

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Dingwall » Dingwall Folk

01 4th Seaforth Highlanders

4th Seaforths embarking at Dingwall Station 1914.

Alexander M Brett

Plaque in memory of Alexander Brett located on entrance wall to St Clement's Church.

18 Bridgend Engineering, Dingwall [Photo courtesy of Mrs Jessie Sinclair]

Staff c.1940.

22 Dingwall WRVS [Photo Urquhart's Studio and DMT]

WRVS soup kitchen in the Old Academy grounds c.1950 Second left, back row, Mrs Granville Hay. Third left, front row, Mrs Lily Macrae. Others to be listed as they are identified

06 Dingwall Thistle FC 1913-14 [Photo DMT]

02 Dingwall's first Fire Brigade (date unknown). Photo: Dingwall Museum Trust

Alexander Frazer, blacksmith, identified by his grand-daughter, Miss Alexandra Fraser, Edionburgh.

Dingwall folk

Members of Dingwall Museum Trust with WW2 helmets discovered in a cupboard.

09 Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone [Photo DMT]

Dingwall's connection with Mr Gladstone is that his wife was a daughter of Provost Robertson, Bridaig House (many years the hostel of Dingwall Academy pupils from the west coast).

10 Mr and Mrs Gladstone [Photo DMT]

04 Provost Alexander Henderson [Photo DMT]

Alexander Henderson was Provost of Dingwall in 1912. Father of late Melven Henderson.

11 Dingwall YWCA or YMCA picnic

12 June 1918 at Kilmaroch.

16 Dingwall Post Office staff [Photo DMT]

GPO staff 1940s. Jean Macdonald at the back? Molly Frazer (deceased), Craig Road, at right.

17 Dingwall Post Office staff [Photo DMT]

Staff in the 1940s. Molly Frazer centre.

08 Freemason E Stenhouse [Photo DMT]

No date or details.

03 Provost Mitchell [Photo DMT]

Provost Mitchell, donor of the area which became Mitchell Hill cemetery.

21 Dingwall folk [Photo DMT]

l-r: Unknown; Danny Macbeth of "The North Star"; Peter Frazer, New Zealand Prime Minister.

20 Dingwall coach trip [Photo DMT]

Unknown group.

12 Dingwall Post Office [Photo courtesy of Mrs Anne Gordon and DMT]

Date unknown. Second right William Macdonald; third right his son Hector.

07 Dingwall Red Cross nurses 1932-33 [Photo DMT]

Back row l-r: Miss Munro, West End PO; Helma McCallum; Betty Cameron. Front row l-r: Hetty Duff; Lizzie Duff; Lily Macrae (nee Grant).

26 David Macdonald, MA

Plaque adjacent to the obelisk in Cromartie car park.

27 Mr Ian Macleod, Dingwall Museum Trust

Ian Macleod receiving the award of BEM from Lord Lieutenant Mrs Janet Bowen.

19 Dingwall coach trip

A group of Dingwallians in 1948 ready to board a Noble's (Muir of Ord) coach for their annual summer outing. ( l-r: ? Mrs Granville Hay ???? Alexander Ferguson, Mrs Christina Ogg, ?

25 Neil McKecnhie, MBE, MA, Dip.Ed. 1919-2014

Head Teacher of Dingwall Primary School.

28 PeterAngus, MBE [Photo courtesy of Alasdair Cameron]

Peter Angus receiving the award of MBE from Lord Lieutenant Mrs Janet Bowen.

29 PeterAngus, wife Jennifer and Lord Lieutenant Mrs Janet Bowen [Photo courtesy of Alasdair Cameron]

The award was announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2018.

15 Dingwall ploughman [Photo courtesy of The Daily Mirror

This newspaper cutting of 8 January 1935 reads: "A contestant during an interval at a ploughing match held at Humberston Farm, Dingwall, Ross-shire. Almost springlike weather prevailed."

05 Provost Robert ("Bob") Macleod

Photo source unknown.

24 Rev Alexander Glass

At Buckingham Palace 1993 for award of OBE.

23 Rev Alexander Glass, OBE, MA, Dip.Ed.

Rector of Dingwall Academy

13 Tommy Wilson [Photo courtesy of Roy Wilson]

Tommy Wilson came to Dingwall in the 1930s as a tap dance and rollerblade instructor. He gained the name of "Tommy the Rink". Later he became the projector operator at The Picture House and, when it closed, a telephone switchboard operator with the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board in their office based at the foot of Church Street.