Wick’s heritage owes much to the silver darlings
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HERITAGE MATTERS: The Wick Society's regular column about local heritage
“When walking down the pier through Pulteneytown I was perfectly amazed at the wonderful fleet of herring boats in the harbour; they were so close and thick together that it would not have been difficult to walk from one side of the harbour to the other across the boats without seeing water. The quays were also covered with herring barrels… each set bearing its own peculiar brand.”
Frank Buckland wrote the above in 1877 while in Wick collecting evidence for the Report on the Herring Fisheries of Scotland 1878. During the heyday of the herring fishing, Wick proclaimed itself the "herring capital of Europe". The herring have long gone but their story is at the heart of our heritage.
Herring fishing had been ongoing in the area for some time. Staxigoe fishermen were the first to see the potential and the many harbours along the north bank of the Wick River flourished in its wake. But it was not until the British Fisheries Society established and built Pulteneytown harbour and indeed the Telford-designed village of Pulteneytown that the capacity to cope with this booming industry was set in full motion.
In recognition of the heritage of the herring, the Wick museum is based around the life and times of the herring fishing: the harbour activity, the boats, the herring girls and how people lived and worked from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century.
The so-named museum Fishing Hall is particularly dedicated to Wick’s involvement in the herring. Here you will find coopers at work making the many barrels required. Like many of the jobs, this was skilled work and there are examples of the tools and materials used to construct the barrels.
The Kippering Kiln display is in the exact space that originally housed a kiln. The blackened walls are genuine reminders of the smoke of decades.
The work of the herring girls was undoubtedly hard. One can only imagine what working in salty water and gutting fish at speed with a sharp knife was like.
In the early days the fishermen went to sea in boats that provided little if any protection from the elements and in the Fishing Hall you can see a wonderful example of just such a boat.
As time went on, the boats became bigger and offered more protection and in the Fishing Hall there is a display highlighting the work of some of the boat-builders in Wick and Pulteneytown.
And, when all the work was done, there was time for celebration with a herring queen pageant. Wick’s herring queens reigned from 1937 to 1953 – the first being Reta Shearer and the final queen being Christine Gunn. The herring queen’s crown and robe have a prominent place in the Fishing Hall.
Wick and Pulteneytown’s heritage owes much to Clupea harengus and, while the silver darlings are gone, their impact is remembered.
If you have not been to the museum for a wee while then how about joining us on Doors Open Day on Sunday, September 19, when you can pay homage to the herring?
The Wick Heritage Museum is now open three days a week – Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 10am to 4pm each of these days. As always the season is scheduled to close at the end of October.
Discover more about the Wick Society and our heritage on our website, www.wickheritage.org
