Orkney Image Library

This is fantastic! I did not realise that The Rocky Shop was so old. How old was it - when did it become the Rocky Shop and what was it before that?

This is one of my favourite pictures. Does anyone know anything about the building next door to Lovies? It looks like the sign says Strynd.It looks very old and neglected in this photo. I'm not in Orkney so I can't just pop out for a look.Perhaps someone who is in Kirkwall could supply a modern day photo of this location for comparison.

When I used to come for holidays I stayed with my cousins who lived in School Place. I seem to remember we went to Louie's, not Lovies.

Don't have a photo but the building next door was used as a workshop for the cathedral masons and below that is the strynd nursery.

Doesn't look much different today.

picture #751 shows The Strynd which is the lane leading down to Albert Street and Broad Street. Like you, I don't live in Orkney but I'm sure someone could pop out and take that photo for us! I think there was a dental service down The Strynd at one time and perhaps it is still there.

The dentist has gone. After that it was a social work office and I think it is a family services centre now for various organisations.

Yes, on close inspection the name would appear to be Louie Foubister.Thanks to everyone for all the extra information.

I seem to remember going in through a gate somewhere at the top of the Strynd, when we went for school dinners, in the mid 50s.

shows the view down the Strynd from the Rocky shop - sorry I missed the buildings on the left so no shop or store in the photo.

Louie Foubister came from Stronsay and opened her shop in 1929.
Next door was the workshop of Tait, the cabinet maker, whose shop was in Broad Street, the property now occupied by OTE.

I remember Louie well as I used to stay at 10 School Place in the late 40s & 50s.There was always a mad rush for the Rocky Shop at playtime.You could get a lot for 6d.in those days !!

I remember The Rocky Shop in the 60s and walking down the Strynd with a paper on my head to avoid the 'bombs' from the birds nesting high in the trees. I also remember Harrison the cobbler had his workshop down the Strynd. We waited in shelters, through the gate at the immediate right of the photo, to get in for school dinners. No choice as I remember on the menu, just a rotation of mince, stew or sausages. Given the number of pupils to be fed , the meals were quite good but I have to confess I cannot look at semolina without remembering a dollop of jam in the middle. Not my favourite memory.

I remember the Rocky Shop well right through the thirties. The gate at the top of The Strynd led in to what at that time was the school bike shed, Those entitled to use it were given a key. Lucky dog to have a sixpence, I had a penny to spend on a half chocolate coated biscuit for a ha'penny and some sweets with the rest.

To avoid any confusion for my many friends ?? in Orkney, the Tom Scott at the end of the queue was not me. I had left school by that time and, anyway, I would have been at the front of the queue!

Yes remember it well... also used to go down to the shop at the bottom of the lane and buy broken biscuits .. i cant remember the name of it ... was it Liptons ?? And many a schoool dinner we had just down past the shop ... which is now a nursery i believe ... ha ha i also remember the semolina with the dollop of jam mmmmmm :)

I have given a copy of the original photo to Tom Scott who is in the photo. He is now living in Aberdeenshire. Date of the photo is probably late 1940's. 1944 was my best guess at the time. Still my favourite photo.

The shop was indeed Liptons Helen. I sold many a bag of broken biscuits and got many a moan if it happened to be a day for cream crackers !!

Another three names to fill in the gaps. In the door is Annie Robinson, after Catherine Swanney is Margaret Russell and after Brenda Delday is Jack (Screwie) Rendall. What memories we have of the Rocky Shop. I had my first bag of Tattie Crisps out of the shop namely George Mollinson & co. Aberdeen, and Smiths Crisps with the famous blue bag of salt,t hat we used to munch in the dark in the Picturehouse. Then came John Foulis the Butcher with his Pomona Crisps, probably the best of them all. Doon the Strynd and on to the street for a creamie cookie from "Ma Nicolson" of the Big Tree Bakery.It wis'na all bad after the War after all. Added by Phil Brough.

Cream crackers .... i must have been lucky as i dont remember getting them ... but i didnt start school untill 1950 and have studied the photo and dont recognize anyone in it ... maybe i am to young ;-)

It was a pleasant surprise to see this picture taken outside the sweetie shop. I remember the shop but not having the picture taken. I remember most of the children as we continued up through the school together and would love to hear from any of you who remember me.
I left Kirkwall in 1956 and moved to the Midlands.
I retired from Coventry Technical College after many years lecturing in Photography.

We lived in School Place from 1954 (up the lane from Neil). I'm not sure when Louie gave up but we mostly remember when it was Ina in the shop. Penny dainties, lucky tatties, ha'penny sweeties, rhubarb rock, licquorice pipes were a few of the delights you could buy; 3d worth of sweeties on a Saturday to last the week! After Ina gave up Auntie Tibbie had it for a peedie while. She was Mrs. Peem Smith from no 5, opposite the main school gate.
I also remember someone doing picture framing in the building next door.

The chap that did the picture framing was named Tulloch and lived in New Scapa Road (the house on the south side of Neukitinueks)

Reckon this photo is probably 1947. Along with Moira Bews and a lot of others in the photo I started school in August 1945. Bobby Slater started in 1946 I think so photo taken after he started.

It's great to have all this extra info on this photo. Can you fill in another gap for us David? Where are you in the photo?

[Fiona- can you send me a larger version of the photo and I can add it here- it originally went on before we had the 'big picture' facility- cheers, Steven]

Hi Fiona
I would love to have a scanned high resolution picture sent through e-mail to me at [email protected]. It would be nice to have a large print and hang it up in my office.
Although I am in the picture, I don't have this one.
Many thanks
Brenda

Fiona I am not in the photo. Not all of us went across to the Rocky Shop. But if the photo is from 1947 as I suggested then maybe I was off school at the time. In 1947 I was off for two months with measles and whooping cough even beyond the day the Albert Kinema went up in flames on 8th May that year. I think this may be a quick casual photo taken by Jimmie Sinclair whose studio was 20 - 30 yards away up School Place. He took official ones of 5th/6th years, school teams and Kirkwallian Editorial staff every year. Then every two years on the even dates he took all the classes in the school.

The Rocky Shop's name dates back to the late 1890's. When I was researching things for the text for "People & Places" for Dougie Shearer's photos I got curious about the foundation dates of Kirkwall shops etc. In the 1890's a Mrs Smith sold hand made rock from the shop. From 1903 - 23 it was owned by a couple called Drever. Then as indicated in other contributions above Louie had it for years, then Mrs Robertson then Mrs Smith. But generations of KGS pupils knew Louie Foubister and her shop. Good to see remarks from you Brenda.

I cant see myself in this picture but think i might have been there. We left Kirkwall in 1948 and had lived at 10 School Place. My name then was Bews

I think the boy named Alistair Pottinger may be in my family tree (brn 1941-died 1988 aged 47). Can anyone tell me anything about him or his family?

I remember,during the time of rationing, going to Louie's with a little "D" coupon and a threepenny bit! My favourite was rhubarb rock. If you were really lucky you had an "E" coupon which allowed you a quarter lb, the "D" was 2oz I think. Long before the days of overly-indulged children!! LOL

Fourth from the left is Norman Slater

The building next door was a picture framing business run by my grandfather James TAIT who was also a cabinetmaker and was one of the Sons in James TAIT & Sons on Broad Street where the Orkney Television shop is now. I left Kirkwall for Canada in 1958 but do remember the candy shop as I walked home to Broad St via the Styrnd from KGS. I have a photo my father Douglas TAIT took of the building in 1987 and the door and window have both been filled in with brick.