Aerial view of Wick, Pulteneytown, Lower Pulteneytown and the harbours

Description Aerial view of Wick, Pulteneytown, Lower Pulteneytown and the harbours

Date 1991

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 1675359

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 49602

Scope and Content Wick harbour and Lower Pulteneytown, Wick, Caithness, Highland Pulteneytown was named after Sir William Pulteney (1729-1805), the then Chairman of the Fisheries Commission. It was designed to house fishermen and their families. By the mid-19th century, Wick was the largest herring port in Europe with around 1000 fishing boats operating out of the harbour. This view shows the harbour and Lower Pulteneytown (top) on the south side of the River Wick. The first quay was built in 1768 and, in 1810, harbour improvements were made by Telford who also bridged the River Wick, improving connections between Wick and Pulteneytown. Wick is situated on the north-east coast of Caithness and takes its name from the Old Norse 'vik', meaning bay. Pulteneytown comprises an area of Wick to the south of the river that was designed and built in the early 19th century by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) as a direct result of a booming herring fishing industry. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1675359

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap