Diary of a Shopkeeper, 29th December 2024

A very welcome Christmas present was Bryce Wilson’s new book, Kirkwall: a history. It’s not a history in the sense of a methodical, dry-as-dust list of statistics and dates. It’s much livelier and more entertaining than that, though no less informative. Reading it feels like taking a wander through the streets and closes of our capital, with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic friend at your side. Someone who knows a story about every building and everyone who ever lived there. Someone who can make the past come alive with a deftly spun anecdote or a pithy quote. Someone like Bryce Wilson.

There are tales of lovers, fighters, poets and business innovators. I was particularly interested to read Bryce’s take on the early days of Kirkness & Gorie, or rather the business that occupied our original premises at 15 Broad Street shortly before we did. ‘By the mid-19th century,’ Bryce writes, ‘a new breed of shopkeepers emerged in Kirkwall. By steamship and rail they went south to acquire the latest goods of quality and fashion.’ Including fine wines and deli foods!

I’ve often wondered who created the beautifully decorated arches and cornices in 15 Broad Street. Now, thanks to Bryce, and a quote from the John o’ Groat Journal of 5th July 1850, I know: ‘Internally, Number 15 has three arches supported by four wooden pillars placed across the centre of the retail area with fine stencilling adorning the arches.’ It was home to a drapers called Tait & Logie, who boasted of a ‘large and Choice Assortment of Goods’ including ‘Shawl, Naps, Stockings, Handkerchiefs, Under Dresses and Veils.’ Strange to think that now, 175 years later, virtually the same goods are sold – with fewer veils and more fascinators – in a shop known to many as Tait & Style.

James and Margaret Kirkness opened their wine and grocery business here in 1859, and their daughter Mary and son-in-law, John Gorie, took over in 1918. And so was born Kirkness & Gorie. Bruce Gorie, the last proprietor to run the deli under the beautiful arches of 15 Boad Street, contributes in several places to Bryce’s book. Alison Miller provides a warm and vivid account of growing up in the 1950s and 60s in Broadsands Road. And it’s great to see Lorraine Bruce’s hilarious ‘Fatty Cutty Sweepstake’ story reprinted – one of the funniest portraits of Kirkwall life ever composed.

Speaking of portraits, special mention must be made of the tremendous range of paintings and prints that Bryce has assembled to illustrate his book. There are a few old photos, and a handful from modern times. But what stands out is the beautifully reproduced art that illustrates and amplifies Bryce’s words.

The cover painting, ‘Kirkwall Fair’, by Arthur Melville, dates to 1885. It’s a dramatic watercolour showing a view down Bridge Street towards the harbour on a rainy day. Despite the rain the street is busy with shoppers and sellers, and the bustle is conveyed effectively by Melville’s impressionistic approach. Its elevated viewpoint makes the buildings on either side look taller and more imposing than they are in reality, almost reminiscent of a street of Edinburgh tenements.

DB Keith’s treatment of School Place – undated, but I’d guess about 100 years old – is so vibrant and sun-splashed that it looked like a street scene from Provence. It’s good to be reminded that the town of our great-grandparents, which we’re used to seeing in black and white photos, and often imagine as monochrome, was just as colourful and lively as it is today.

Beautiful prints here by William Daniell and Sylvia Wishart were familiar to me, but most of the other atmospheric artworks, including those by Tom Scott, Sam Bough, JW Carey, WH Paton and Nancy Ramsay were a revelation. Despite me being an art lover with an interest in local history, I’d seen very few of them before. Where are they hidden away? And how can we get them on public display? Some of the works are noted as being either in private collections but most belong to Orkney Museums & Heritage, with several more from Orkney Library & Archive and other bodies.

The Pier Arts Centre is of national importance for its 20th century art collection, including quite a few local artists. And there are several private galleries doing excellent work in line with the tastes and preferences of their owners. But could we not have a town or county gallery? One that has a permanent collection of works such as Bryce has reproduced here? As well as being a pleasure to visit, it would give valuable insights into our history and culture, and be popular with both residents and visitors. It could be called the National Gallery of Orkney.

Bryce Wilson’s Kirkwall: a history is available at all good bookshops . It’s a hardback, is published by The Orcadian, and is priced at £23.99.

This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 3rd January 2025. A new diary appears weekly. I post them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations, and occasional small corrections or additions.