The Invergordon Archive

Used to have some fun here in the 50's, it had a juke-box. I don't think we ever dined here. Owned of course by Alistair Macgregor. of the Macgregor dynasty...

Lovely picture. Do the MacGregor Dynasty still own many of the shops in Invergordon do you know Harry?

I am unsure as to the location of the café in this picture. The café I remember in the early 1960s was across the lane from the Commercial bar. Skived off school many days to sit with Morris Scott and listen to the Juke Box.

Hi Heather, not sure re the Macgregors, likely moved away from Inver-g.

Hi George, that's the one I remember also

Hi George
I too was confused about the location, so much so that I spent half an hour in the High St looking at the various buildings but so many frontages have changed couldn’t really come up with an answer. The location of the cafe as we knew it is currently occupied by Farmfoods and the old front is totally gone. I contacted Ian my eldest brother who is 86 and he cannot remember any other location either.
I seem to remember maybe late 50s early 60’s that the cafe was extended. I wonder whether the cafe in the photo was part of the building next to JE Macdonald’s and that the other half of the building may have been another business. Certainly the Mac’s cafe we knew did not have stained glass pains on the windows. The one man who will definitely know will be Alastair MacGregor and I will ask him next time I see him and that in turn answers Harry and Heather’s questions, Still in the town and family also still in and around surrounding area.

Hi Graham, that is indeed interesting, Alastair still around. Do you know if his father Rod owned the big house by the Cromlet? just across from the railway station and down from the infant school. I remember Dunn the plumbers doing some renos there and I was intrigued with the blow-torches, they had to pull me away, had them all going.
All the best, we are in the midst of a heat-wave temp. in the low 40's..OUCH...

Graham - I am pretty sure that Mac's cafe was next door to the Commercial on the east side. The cafe on the west side (across the lane, where Farmfoods is now) was MacGregor's cafe which was much later, and then moved across the High Street to where the Co-op recently vacated.... there again I could be completely wrong!!

Yes Kenny we are in agreement, maybe did not describe it very well. Mac’s cafe was indeed on the site of Farmfoods between the Comm lane and JE MAcdonalds. That site later became MacGregors’ Supermarket before moving across the road to where the Coop was till recently.
I think the confusion for all is that the frontage of the cafe in the photo seems to be earlier than anyone so far can remember. The question is whether the cafe in the photo was on the same site as the Mac’s cafe we all remember or was it elsewhere on the street.

Mention here of the Commercial. Is it still going strong? I notice that the Caley is going into flats.

picture #99 gives a good description of the shops.

To Anon, I was just looking at this pic when your comment arrived.
I think Macs Cafe was always on the corner of the lane by the Commercial Bar..

I remember it on that site but it had a big window & the doorway was inset with a slightly smaller window on the counter side. Red Formica tables, red Lino, juke box, glass coffee cups, Joey serving behind the counter & a juice machine with the plastic oranges in it. No smoke alarms in the toilets thank goodness for our lunchtime smoke...Cigarette & chocolate machines outside... Great place...

What brand Liz? us boys smoked either Woodbines or Turf. Maybe you girls smoked Craven-A

Harry I remember Embasy Red in 10s & 20s 2/3D & 4/6D in old money. Players no 6 & possibly Senior Service.

Cafe next to Com. Ken worked on a big renovation about 1957-1958 I worked in the office of the grocery shop - side door to King Street before coming to Australia

Just on the juke box. I seem to remember it took 3 old pennies to ne play a song.....but the side of the machine had a loose glass panel which enabled you to flick some of the mechanism to play a song for nothing. The song most played was Jim Reeves "I love you because you understand me". I hated it and still do as I thought the sentiments were total bollocks!

'69 "Joe South, The Games People Play. " Many a great lunch there with the gang!

There was also Jamiesons cafe on the other side of the Comm, I think it was called the Marina cafe in early years...

Would that be Mort Jamieson family?

Was indeed Harry. Spent too many days there instead of studying for exams. Lovely couple.

Thanks for that George, Mort was very well liked.
I don't remember the cafe though..was it after 1959? thats when I left Inver-g

I have a very vague recollection of the Jamie's on cafe. Also recall an establishment of some kind at the top of the High Street opposite Taylor Garage. Hi Harry!

Hi Billy, I dont recall that one either, the legion was across from Taylor's garage. Invergordon didn't have much in the way of dining establishments back then..

I understand MacGregor owned quite a few commercial properties in Invergordon and for obvious reasons he would not agree a letting which might involve competition for his own businesses. Hence unlike many Scottish towns there was no Italian cafe in the town

Think the cafe started in the early 60s.

Thanks George, that explains why.

Hi Bill and Harry, the establishment at the top of the High Street, opposite Taylors garage and next to the British Legion was called "Cosy Corner Tearooms", my parents bought it about 1950 and turned it into our family home.
There is actually a picture of it in the Ross Shire Journal, dated Friday, November 21, 2008, on the page called Reflections.

Ok thanks Eddie, Poland is to play Scotland, who you pulling for?

I might be wrong Eddie but l'm sure you could buy a cone or a slider of ice-cream from the front of your house a sash window was opened and probably your mother served this was in the fifties.

I remember Mac’s Cafe from 1960-1970 when we visited as a family to see my granny Dorothy Edmeades (Outram Street) and my aunt and uncle Eva and Eric Edmeades (Gordon Terrace). I met Jimmy Fry (Salvesen Cres. Alness)in Mac’s Cafe in 1970. It was much bigger than this photo.

Please add your comments about this picture using the form below.

Comments


Your Name


Your email address - this will be shown on the page and will allow the system to notify you of further comments added to this picture.