Orkney Image Library

That's North Ness pier, North Walls.

This is I would say the North Ness in Longhope. The house on the right side of the photo would be the Ship Inn. It has been said by Capt Fred that this would have been the main landing place in Longhope at this time as the pier at South Ness was built by Thomas Middlemore in the early part of the 20th century.
The boat in the photo is I would think a flit boat bringing goods ashore from the Steamer as until piers were built this would have been the only means of getting supplies ashore.

This peedie boat is a humble craft to say the least, I wonder how much this boatman earned for bringing ashore all the supplies? and would he be part of the steamers crew or did each landing place have its own boat?.

Are my eyes playing tricks, or is that a ship or hulk in the background, under St Johns Kirk? In the late 1800's and early 1900's, steam ships bound from the Baltic and other parts of Europe came into Longhope Bay to bunker from coal hulks. I just wonder if that is one of them, although I do appreciate that most would have been moored in Longhope and not North Bay.
There must have been a pier of sorts at the Longhope side, as Captain Menzies had a large shop, coal store, bakery etc. where Groats is now. So far as I am aware, J.M.F. Groat came to the Island to work at Menzies. Wilson Nicholson, would have known the whole story, but unfortunately he is no longer with us.
In addition to the pier, Thomas Middlemore built the Longhope Hotel the Ayre and the walkway around the Brims Lifeboat house.

Just testing you John, I believe the "man" in the boat may well be one of the fairer sex! The tale I have been told is that she was Betsy Linlkater from the Ship Inn who later married Capt. Wilson of the Thistlebank. She sailed with him on various voyages and gave talks about her travels in later life. The Wilsons had the Inn at Herston...... no need to tell a Longhope man that, and after Capt. Wilson died she married John Noquay of Swona and they had the croft of Stonepark in the 'Hope.

This would make a great subject for a painting

There is a ship of some sort moored off the kirk Fred, that would be one of the deeper parts of the North Bay. I dont know about back then but there is an anchorage there now.

Longhope!!!!!! I don't think so.

Better get your brushes oot, Willie, and start painting!

Karin I know our Island is very confusing as it is one of the few that has diferent parishes within it. If I might try to clarify, first Longhope is the bay (long bay)and Longhope-Lyness etc are postal addresses- for example the North Walls district until the post office at North Ness closed had the postal address of Melsetter (Confused? Well I am!!).

South Walls was known long ago by the Norse name Vagaland, (land of bays)and I personally would love to see that old name restored. So when I say that I come from Longhope this is not true as Longhope is the bay not the district. Hope you dont think that I am trying to be a smart a***, another example is that we hear now all the time of North Hoy! there was never such a place as that area was the parish of Hoy.
John Budge.
Vagaland. (Vagaland freedom fighter)!!!

Just to add to the confusion, if you were posting a letter to Longhope, if you didn't put Stromness after the Longhope, it would take a day longer to get there. When we were going up to see the grand aunty at Quoydale we were not in Hoy till we passed the Water of Hoy.( Long live the VFF)

In years gone by, the three districts in the parish of Hoy were known as Braebuster, Benethal and Whaness as quoted in the book, Hoy the Dark Enchanted Isle (Well worth a read, excellent story)

I agree John, who started calling it North Hoy?! Although I have heard folk fae Hoy(the parish not the island) call it North Hoy, you would think they should ken better! I did ken that Longhope was the bay rather than the parish but I wonder how many others ken that. Perhaps a campaign to change the name back to Vagaland should be started, I believe it would be up to OIC to accept or reject it, correct me if I'm wrong? although it may end up as Sooth Hoy and Lyness will be Middle Hoy!!

I've been doing a bit of research on the hoose and the North Ness area so it's good to see & hear from those who have memories of the area rather than learnt knowledge. I have copies of the census returns for the area from 1841 - 1901 so for anyone interested if this picture was taken around 1900 then the residents of the hoose/Inn were as follows - John Linklater Hotel keeper and his wife Isabella Linklater with their daughter Annie L Linklater their neice Georgina Taylor their GrandDaughter Bella L Gray their Grandson John W Gray (Jock said he was born in the hoose) and a boarder William Ireland who was a commercial traveller. The Linklaters must have come to the hoose/Inn sometime after 1881/2 as the returns show Margaret Thomson(Mother and then daughter who was also Margaret) as Inn keepers from 1841 - 1881. For anyone still reading this you may find the following webpage of interest - www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/canmore.newcandig_p_coll_details?p_arcnumlink=746497.

Finally, John I was only having a fun at our Islands North Sooth divide and to follow on from your Vagaland description I found this on the interweb -

HOY (ON Ha-ey, High Island) is the largest Orkney island after the Mainland, being about 20km (12.5 miles) long by 9km (5.6 miles) wide. Most of the island is more like the Scottish Highlands than Orkney, only the southern end being low and fertile. The north and west coasts are bounded by spectacular cliffs, while the southeast coast has so many bays that the Vikings called it Vagaland, Land of Voes. This became Scotticised into Wawis, and then Anglicised to Walls. The old pronunciation of "Waas", however, has survived.

Weel said John - and I'll support you as a fellow Vagaland freedom fighter! A lot o' folk widna ken the valuable information ye pass on there. Hids sad that so much o' the culture is slipping into obscurity -'North Hoy' indeed! The map maakers fae the sooth hiv a lot to answer for! This is part of what makes this site so important .......

Very confusing. Heckness, South Walls, Brims, Melsetter, North Walls, Crockness, Lyness, Hoy, Rackwick.
I always say that I grew up above the village of Longhope.

A lot of of very interesting stuff that this little snap has generated. I am wrong in what I originally wrote about as Karin may well realise, that is what comes from learnt information! It was not Capt. Wilson who had the Inn at Herston but John Linklater who moved from the Ship Inn to there. I believe he moved from there to Taftingus in the 'Hope to which he made extensive improvements, including the building up of the walls of the burn which is currently being covered to make the new road. At the risk of starting a new controversy, being of Hoy descent myself, I would ask if anyone has any information on Robert MacKenzie, Post Office, Hoy.

When I was young there was none o' this problems wi the district, there wis the north side and the sooth side.. Lyness wis just a naval base and Hoy was a long distance away at the ither end o the island, quite a venture in them days to go to Hoy!!!

It has recently come to my notice that there was an inn on the site of the present Longhope(Royal)Hotel long before Thomas Middlemore built the present one.
In the 1841 census James Wright, who I think originally hailed from Canisby, was the publican, in addition to being a cooper. I always thought that those Sooth side folk would have a pub somewhere, as they would have been reluctant to set foot in the North Ness.
I suppose that makes the Brims folk the only ones that dont need the liquid Dutch courage.

A very dear old man lived next door tae iss when I was young, his name was John Cromerty. John was born in Brims but he lost his mother while still very young and was brought up in South Ronaldsay, and I wonder if he was not looked after by the owners of the Inn you spoke of Herbert. The one thing I mind John saying was that the first time he seen a pair o rubber boots was on a sailor landed on South Ronaldsay by the Longhope Lifeboat, and I think they would have been the survivors from the SS Victoria wrecked at Scarfskerry.
I suppose they were taken to the Inn for warmth and food.
On that night, the 3rd of March 1891, 22 men were taken off the ship by the men o Brims. The bullworks o the Lifeboat were stove in and on returning with 16 crew and 22 survivors and the boat awash they were unable to stey' into Aith Hope so they ran afore the waather, tae Widwall bay. Noo wid I be correct wae all this story?. Whan thing that I do mind was that John aye thought of himsel as a Brims Man, of that he was always prood.

Keith is correct. I think that there is a ship anchored in the North Bay, just under St John's Kirk. Longhope was so busy at that time, that every anchorage would have been used.

I wonder if anyone on here can help me. Does anyone know any more of the history of the Ship Inn? I found this page while looking for information about Margaret Thomson whom I believe is my grt, grt, grt, grt grandmother. I think her grandson Captain Roderick Lees is also buried in the cemetery at Walls and I am trying to find out as much information about the family as possible. The connection to the Inn is a new and exciting development.

Mainly for Linda Irving, the last person to comment. I did some research on North Walls inns, quite a bit on the Ship Inn janealogy.co.uk/blog/inns-of-north-walls-and-brims/