Orkney Image Library

Across the road from the old Cosmo? Sign probably said "S Baikie & Son" at a later date.

I think that the sign would have been John G Nicolson as this was their office.

Think you are right. Now when you say it I seem to mind J G Nicholson in that building right enough.

If this IS across from the current Post office then the gateposts at the extreme right led into a large yard and to the right of the gate was Nicolson's Garage, currently Peace's. The yard belonged to Peace the builder who had property both sides of Junction Rd. I'm trying to get an image of this area of 1960 into my mind and trying to place both gable ended buildings and the chimney stack top right. Any chance this is same side of road as Post Office and the entrance to Peace's Woodyard subsequently knocked down for new Post office in which case picture is pre-1960 which is when post office opened. The blocked window on building to left is also a puzzler. If it is opposite old Cosmo then these buildings would have had to be knocked down to give us the premises which became Jewsons. Just a few thoughts.

David, I still think that this is across the road from the old Cosmo. If I am right, at the time of the photo, the old building on the left was, or had at one time been, where either Baikie's or Peace's joiners had worked. The upper storey was then, and for some years after, accessed by means of an external wooden stair, or maybe more than one, just across the opening from what was, at the time, Mellis's Garage, then probably owned by D E Thomson. This is now, of course, the "Old Motor Hoose". Sometime in the early 1960's, S Baikie began to sell Builders' hardware etc, including plumbing materials, from the newer looking building, presumably after J G Nicholson moved out. I can remember baths etc being stored on the lower floor level of the old Joiners' Shop. This was all certainly in operation by the mid-sixties. Over the course of later years, Baikie altered and extended those premises considerably, and also built the existing double storey building across from the Post Office. The whole thing laterally, of course, coming under the ownership of Jewsons.

You can see these buildings in picture #293 and also on page 213 of the Orcadian Book of the 20th Century (vol 1).

This building was across the road from the Cosmo. Think that was a wartime wooden building in the woodyard. Nicolsons had it for an office. After Nicolsons left it was rebuilt keeping the front the same. The bus was driven by Tom Drever on the Kirkwall Stromness run. He drove it for Nicolsons D. G. Spence and J.D.Peace. After the bus retired it was bought by Reynold Johnston and converted into a motor home, THE OVERLANDER.

I remember the Overlander when i was a young lad. It ended its days at Breck in Tankerness, last owner presumably the late Davy Shearer. If i recall it was blue and white, remember a wooden plaque on the back with Overlander on it.

In WW2 the building across from the post office was a NAAFI store supplying all the millitary in Orkney with supplies. The late George Sinclair who had Foubisters shop in Albert St, worked in the store. He may have been in the NAAFI during WW2.

Glad to see all the extra comments since mine. As we discussed Tom it is across from the Cosmo indeed. My few random thoughts have got some intereresting info back, all very useful for the Radio Orkney Walk through the town and for fresh info on some more of Kirkwall's history

I thought Dave Spence's garage was across from the Cosmo

Dave Spence bought the bus and garage business from Nicolsons Sold the Castle Garage to Tullocks and the bus business to J D Peace . He kept the garage at the back of the Old Motor House which was later taken over by Edgar Milne.

The garage at back of the Motorhouse was built after a number of lockup garages were demolished which were used by Nicolsons.