ID:QZP40_CARD_0340DESCRIPTION:The harbour at Cromarty with the coast of Easter Ross beyond. In the early eighteenth century Cromarty was already a flourishing port trading with Norway, Sweden and Holland as well as England. Timber, iron, gin and coal were imported and grain and salted fish exported. The harbour was built between 1781and 1784 when the original stone jetty was extended and a new pier and breakwater added. It was paid for by George Ross of Pitkerie who bought Cromarty Estate and redeveloped the town.
Cromarty was an important port and for a time very prosperous. Flax was imported from the Baltic for the hemp factory, also built by George Ross, to make rope and cloth. There was a thriving fishing community which boomed in the seventeenth and eighteenth century when there was an abundance of herring. In the nineteenth century emigrants set sail from Cromarty to Canada, North America and Australia.
However improved rail and road links brought an end to Cromarty's importance as a port. The Cromarty Firth provided a deep, natural harbour. In 1912 it became a naval base and provided a safe anchorage for the Navy's fleet in both world wars. Cromarty's harbour was once again much in use. More recently the Cromarty Firth has been used for the construction, repair and mothballing of North Sea oil rigs.PLACENAME:CromartyOLD COUNTY/PARISH:ROSS: CromartySOURCE:Highland LibrariesCOLLECTION:Highland Libraries' Postcard CollectionAsset ID:32250KEYWORDS:
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