Thursday 20th February 2020: ‘One of the best portes in this yslande’ — A history of Cromarty Harbour

Pat Haynes

Cromarty Harbour is a Trust Port, which means that it is run by an independent statutory body established by an Act of Parliament. In Cromarty’s case, there have been 2 Acts and several Revision Orders since the first pier was constructed in 1784. Pat will present a history of the harbour, its significance in the growth of Cromarty’ss trade over the centuries and its importance during past naval conflicts. She will also touch on the large scale emigration of the early nineteenth century, covered in detail by an earlier talk in this season’s programme. The current trustees are masterminding a series of phased improvements including the dredging of the harbour, various repairs, replacements and upgrading works — a process that started on site in 2018 and is scheduled to complete later this year. She will outline the scope of these works and give the latest information regarding plans for the future.

Pat Haynes trained and worked as a landscape architect, holding positions in local government, private practice and as a part-time lecturer. Her last office job was as an environmental planner with SEPA in Dingwall, where her remit included renewable energy projects, EIS assessments and contributions to development plans throughout the north of Scotland with specialisms in Construction Environmental Management and electricity transmission projects. In a parallel universe she has found time to run the kitchens of hotels in North Berwick and Glen Loy, also of a tourist barge on the Caledonian Canal and to help out at the Old Brewery for the Cromarty Arts Trust. In her spare time, Pat enjoys painting in her studio and making archaeological reconstruction drawings for the North of Scotland Archaeological Society. However, the Cromarty Harbour regeneration work has been her main focus for the last few years.

Cromarty History Society meets in the West Church Hall, Cromarty at 7.30pm on the the third Thursday of each month, September - April