Scottish Memories

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Scottish Memories • November 2011 Our cover image, painted by David Young, depicts the famous signpost at John O’Groats. Discover the area on page 27

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M m i is published by Warners Group Publications plc, 5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JD, UK website: www.scottish-memories.co.uk

PUBLISHER Janet Davison jand@warnersgroup.co.uk

EDITORIAL Managing Editor: Matt Hill matthewh@warnersgroup.co.uk Tel: 0113 200 2912

Deputy Editor: Rachel Bellerby rachelb@warnersgroup.co.uk Tel: 0113 200 2922

Consultant Editor: George Forbes Contributors: Myra Douglas, Bobby Harvey, Aileen Torrance, James Hendrie, Cameron Slater, Anne Graham, John Taylor, Joan Christie, Katy Christie, Charlie Hall, Duncan Ferguson, Colin Black, Lisa Main, Landscape photography: Dennis Hardley (details on page 54).

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ON SALE: December issue on sale: 17 November, 2011 Receive your copy direct to your door by subscribing See page 23 for our fantastic subscription offer

BACK ISSUES Back issues are available from the Scottish Memories subscriptions department, tel: 01778 392020. ISSN 0968-7874 DISCLAIMER The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate, but the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions, but will immediately investigate any written complaints.

COPYRIGHT No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior written permission of the publisher.

© WARNERS GROUP PUBLICATIONS PLC 2011

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W lc m t Our news pages are often filled with details of exciting new projects which are working to keep a record of our past, be it oral history recordings, new museum exhibitions or the building of special monuments.

We might not have a museum just yet, but Scottish Memories is doing its bit for the future, ensuring memories of life in the twentieth century are recorded and shared, so thank you to the many hundreds of readers who have sent in their stories for our Scotland Remembered pages and for this month’s wonderful ‘My first car’ feature (page 14).

its bit for the future, ensuring memories of life in the twentieth century are recorded and

This month we will be continuing our quest to share each other’s recollections of the past by launching a brand new website. The ‘Celebrate Scotland’ site is the new home for both Scottish Memories and our sister title History Scotland. The site will feature news updates, event listings, subscription offers and much more. But the really exciting part of the site is the ‘Reader Memories’ section, which features more of your wonderful stories of the past and allows us to share them with people from around the world. Take a look at the site (www.celebrate-scotland. co.uk), let me know what you think, and keep the memories coming in to the usual address.

While I am on the subject of technology, you may also be interested to know that each issue of Scottish Memories can be read on a computer or an ipad, giving readers around the world the chance to read the magazine wherever they are. We might focus on the past, but we also like to keep up with the times, but whatever format you prefer, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this month’s selection of wonderful memories.

C t ts 5 Then and now A new look for John O’Groats, and new oral history collection

Matt Hill, Editor

35 WIN! a break worth £480! Your chance to win a holiday in a historical Edinburgh building

12 Memories mailbox Readers’ letters. Plus, George Forbes’ popular Writing to Remember column

14 My first… car Readers recall the excitement of owning their first set of wheels

18 Jim ‘Scoop’ Taylor Iconic photographs of life in the Spey Valley in the Sixties and Seventies

20 Putting the house to bed What happens once a National Trust for Scotland property closes for the season

22 Celebrating the empire The transformation of Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park into an empire exhibition which entranced thousands of visitors

24 Year to remember: 1978 Films, music, headlines and prices from the Seventies

27 Destination John O’Groats Your in-depth travel guide to Scotland’s stunning north-eastern coastline

32 A cheeky wee vintage Aileen Torrance recalls her father’s forays into the world of home brewing in the Seventies

36 Scotland’s most beautiful place? We visit one of Loch Lomond’s little-known islands, an idyllic destination reached by vintage wooden steamer 39 Reader memories Make do and mend, Alloa hospital, door-todoor Hoover sales, clothes shopping in the Fifties and visits to granny

44 Quintinshill train disaster The tragic story behind Scotland’s worst-ever rail disaster

46 The Buttercup Dairy Company Recollections of the high street chain whose distinctive shop interiors, featuring a girl and cow motif, became well-known

48 Sights and sounds of Scotland We give you the lowdown on the latest books and CDs with a Scottish flavour

50 A country constable Our 1950s fiction series continues as WPC McReadie clashes with the local doctor

51 Scottish Memories book club Wonderful books at fantastic prices!

52 Puzzles WIN! Put the kettle on, sit back and relax with our page of puzzles and competitions!

J Sc M m i today n v 2012 c l n r n i ry! S ag 23…