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MHG22709 - Cromarty Buildings, Strathpeffer

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This three storey block dates to 1885 (Murray 1985). In the 1920s-1930s, the downstairs shops were Burnetts Bakery, with a tea room in the back (east) and a drapers (west), run by Samuel Fraser and his family. The Frasers lived at Timaru. See Duncan Finlayson’s memories of this building in the 1920s.
Behind Cromartie Buildings, there was a long row of garages, where the delivery van was kept and, behind that again, the bakery itself. On the OS 2nd edition map (1906), the long narrow row of buildings at the rear of Cromartie Buildings, and, behind this, another building, would seem to correspond to this description
The Burnetts, an Inverness family, advertised themselves as ‘Bakers to the Highlands’ and the bakery and the tea room were vital to the Spa. Like Burnetts, the Frasers - who held a tremendous stock, including mens, womens, and childrens clothes, table linen, bed linen, etc - delivered around Strathconon, the Heights and Garve.
Burnett’s continued in business until the 1980. After Burnetts, the property was a supermarket which also sold fishing permits and had accountancy.
Frasers drapery shop was succeeded by George MacKenzie, (‘Gentleman George’), when it was known locally as ‘The Toffs’. Then it was run by Eric Simpson. Taylors had it after the Simpsons.
The properities above the shops were flats from at least the 1920s and probably before. Originally the people who owned or managed the shops often lived above them. For example, the Abbot family, who ran Burnett’s in the 1920s, lived in these flats. Later, in the 1950s, Mrs Murchison, who was manager of Burnetts, lived upstairs. But later tenants were not associated with the businesses. There has been a large turnover of people living in this building.

Information from Duncan Finlayson; Fiona Newton; Margaret Spark; Jennifer Haslam, ARCH Remembering Strathpeffer Project, 2011.

Murray, D., 1985. Victorian Strathpeffer. A walk around this unique highland village. Inverness <1>

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Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 4840 5830 (23m by 29m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH45NE
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	FODDERTY

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