Thursday, 7 July 2011

People Will Get Up and ... Go


Stroma is in the Pentland Firth and is part of Caithness. Its near northern neighbour, Swona, is part of Orkney. The population of the 1.45 sq mile Stroma once exceeded 500. In 1901 it was 375, but the appeal of working on the mainland was such that around 1962 the last two families left. A harbour had been constructed at the island's south end, barely in time to serve permanent residents and then to assist their departure.

Scottish Islands Explorer -  helping visitors discover what is off-shore
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4 comments:

  1. rclubley7 July 2011 at 01:00

    I think the islanders petitioned for a harbour then the money they earned labouring on the project funded their flit to the mainland. Great blog, John, I enjoy it with my toast, coffee and paper each morning.

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  2. Anonymous7 July 2011 at 13:54

    A friend in my Sussex village, who's maiden name is Kennedy- had ancestors who lived on Stroma.

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  3. Scottish Islands Explorer15 July 2011 at 10:43

    It would be good to know about more evacuees from any island. The one childhood survivor from St Kilda lives in Ipswich and is occasionally interviewed by the media.

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  4. Rob van Dijk ( NL)19 July 2011 at 03:29

    There is a very nice videopresentation about Stroma's past in the magnificent Caithness Horizons exhibition in Thurso's Town Hall. The story is told by former islanders. Well worth a visit - no admission.

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