Castletown Heritage Centre:The complete history of Castletown and the parish of Olrig, from Neolithic times to present day.

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Castletown Heritage was set up in 1986 to safeguard and develop the history, character and crafts of the parish of Olrig, Caithness. At present we are gathering and collating the information and artefacts required to form an evolving archive in Castletown. This will contain images and artefacts of the complete history of Castletown and the parish of Olrig, from Neolithic times to present day. We have currently a small exhibition centre on the village main street and will welcome all visitors to it.

‘Who we are’

Castletown Heritage was set up to protect and preserve the history and heritage of the village of Castletown and the parish of Olrig. We consist of a committee of volunteers who spend their time cataloguing and preserving artefacts and images of the area. We are at present trying to obtain funding for a major renovation of the Traill Hall in Castletown, to provide a new multipurpose home for the Heritage artefacts

‘Time Line’

The history of Castletown and the parish of Olrig extends from

Neolithic times - surrounding Castletown are the remains of several brochs and burial mounds.

900-1300 - Vikings - Stone circles and burial chambers were found next to the beach.

Middle ages - Reformation and Rebellion.

From Rebellion to Improvement - Advances in communication’s and agriculture.

Traills and Flagstones - The commercial exploitation of this natural resource.

Wartime - The proximity of Scapa Flow and the home fleet lead to a large military build up in both world wars.

Last 45 years - The coming of the atomic age - The fast reactors and cold war communications along with today’s industries on the leading edge of technology ensure a vibrant future for the village.

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This picture is of the village post and telegraph office dating from around 1900. These premises are now the St Clair Hotel.

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This picture is of the village postman Mr Geddes and was taken in 1898 as he delivered the footpost around the village. He would have walked 10 miles to Thurso and back to deliver and collect the footpost. A faster ponypost was also available at this time.

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This picture is of the harbour at Castlehill, which Sheriff James Traill had built to enable him to ship his flagstones worldwide and grain to the continent. He also used this harbour to bring in the essential supplies required by his workers and residents of the parish of Olrig.

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This picture is of a local farmer Mr Gunn of Greenland carrying out a flitting for someone. The photo is taken outside the railway station in Thurso.

‘Opening Times’

Our present exhibition centre located on Castletown Main Street is open throughout the week at the following times

Monday 7.30 – 9pm

Wednesday 2.30 – 4.30pm

Saturday 2.30 – 4.30pm

Everyone is welcome to come along and browse around. We are always interested in stories and tales of the days gone by as this adds a feeling of reality to the artefacts and makes them come to life.

‘Themed Exhibitions’

Through out the year we hold themed exhibitions on aspects of life in Olrig parish. We try to include items that all ages will recognise and images from the local area. Artefacts that are loaned for display in the exhibitions are gratefully received and will be returned after the exhibition is over.

‘Future Exhibitions’

A theme we are keen to follow up is that of transport. It was a very important thing all through history and hopefully we will be able to recreate a feel for the past and the means of transport now long forgotten. We will have images and artefacts stretching back to the time of the stagecoaches and also the time when everybody had to walk. It is also our aim to make available pony and trap rides from our premises on the main street to the heritage trail located at Castlehill.

in conjunction with
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Caithness & Sutherland Enterprise