ID:SLD_182_027DESCRIPTION:The crofting townships of Glasphein (Glashvin) and Digg are situated just north of Staffin. They are dwarfed by the massive presence of the Quiraing and the Trotternish Ridge behind. This whole north eastern side of Skye is dominated by the Trotternish Ridge, an escarpment formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity in the region. The hard rock created from lava is underlain by softer Jurassic clays which have been gradually eroded resulting in the largest landslip in Britain. The Ridge runs from Ben Dearg, near Portree, to Meall na Suiramach some 29 km (18 miles) to the north. The views are spectacular and the ridge can be accessed at various points along its length, including at the Quiraing where a single track road off the A855 crosses the Trotternish peninsula from Staffin to Uig in the west of the island.
The communities around Staffin remain strongly Gaelic in culture and continue the crofting traditions alongside more modern forms of employment. The traditional one and a half storey croft houses, some with corrugated iron roofs, have been extended or replaced with modern bungalows and larger, double-glazed properties are now a common sight within the community.
Olivia James
The images in this collection are a selection from a set of high quality Agfachrome slides taken by Olivia James. Mrs James, a semi-professional photographer, took the photographs on visits to Skye between 1968 and 1989, using a Pentax S1A camera and CT 18 film. They record a variety of locations, people and activities which have now changed or indeed disappeared, and provide one person's view of the island through the camera lens. Born in Elderslie, Renfrewshire on 26th April 1932, Olive Grace James (née Purcell) moved to England in 1944, trained as a teacher and married Richard James in 1956. Her husband's forbears were from Skye and they began visiting on a regular basis in 1968. In addition to the slides, Mrs James has written an evocative account of her memories of places, events and people on Skye which she named 'Skye Magic', a copy of which is held at the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre.
'Skye Magic' has been incorporated into her privately printed autobiography 'Neivie, Neivie, Nick, Nack' which she has kindly donated to various institutions inclu
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Skye and Lochalsh ArchivesPLACENAME:Glasphein, DiggDISTRICT:SkyeOLD COUNTY/PARISH:INVERNESS: KilmuirCREATOR (AV):Olivia JamesPERIOD:1970s; 1980sSOURCE:Skye and Lochalsh Archive CentreCOLLECTION:Olivia James CollectionAsset ID:39472KEYWORDS:
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