The following pictures (apart from the unknown photorapher of the wedding picture) were taken by Sandy Sutherland using 35mm slide film and give a small pictorial record of Brora’s Brora Nurseries & Gladstone Garden Centre (which was found on the A9 trunk road at Gladstone Cottage, Victoria Road, Brora, Sutherland, Scotland, KW9 6LN). The Garden Centre existed only for a short period of time, closing in 1986 when Alexander (Sandy) Sutherland (jnr) went to study at the Free Church of Scotland College in Edinburgh. The Brora Nurseries probably started towards the end of the 1940s by Alexander (Alex / Alick / Sandy) Sutherland (snr). The Nurseries closed on the death of Alexander Sutherland in 1988. The Nurseries (and Gladstone Cottage’s kitchen as a stop-off for the Milkmen, etc.) was a place where a number of people gathered in the warmest greenhouse in the winter and the coolest in the summer to drink ‘gallons’ of tea and put the garden (and the world) to right!
The ‘main-stay’ at the centre of the Centre / Nursery (to say nothing about the tea-making) was Marion (nee Shaw, from Blantyre, Scotland) Sutherland. Alexander and Marion were married on 29th March 1948. Marion survived her husband by 10 years.
The Nurseries and Centre had a number of enthusiastic ‘helpers’ (as seen in some of the pictures) including: Robert (Bob) Maclean, John (Johnnie) Steven, George Ross, Peter Willis, Donald Kennedy and Donnie Gunn* (all deceased). The pictures hopefully honour their memory. (*Donnie Gunn looked after Gladstone Cottage’s croft–97 East Brora Muir, prior to Robert Sutherland (brother of Sandy jnr) and then Gordon Smith taking over.)
Place cursor on picture for title. Click for gallery. Slideshow at foot of page. to enlarge.
sandysroutesandshoots 