Tain Museum Image Library

Picture No 55. Courtesy of Tain & District Museum.
Year: 1880
Catalogue No. 2279.1

Anderson's Saw Mill, South Bonar

In this interior view of Anderson's saw mill, Andrew Anderson is the gentleman, back left, with the beard.
Picture added on 02 March 2004.

Comments

Is this south Bonar Bridge? If not where is south bonar?
Added by Ian Ross Horne on 07 April 2005.

South Bonar is the area on the west side of the bridge, immediately opposite Bonar. There used to be a quay there run by the Anderson family, and I believe the sawmill was at the quay. The Andersons lived at the Pink House, which was previously the Ardross Hotel. The house was demolished long ago - it was roughly where the Caledonian Curry Company's building stands now.
Added by Estelle Quick on 08 April 2005.

Thanks Estelle for information as to South Bonar have passed by where you describe where the Pink house stood on and of for over fifty years while holidaying at Amat but only ever remember Sutherland Transport on that ground. Thank you Ian Horne.
Added by Ian Ross Horne on 02 June 2005.

I'm Andrew Anderson's niece! Bunty Gordon In Bonar knows who the various people are, Estelle. I'm dubious that Andrew is in the picture. Our house was destroyed some time after 1974 (not by an Anderson!!)
Added by Katharine Broome on 05 June 2005.

Great to see your comments on these photos Katharine! The Anderson papers are now fully catalogued and providing lots of fascinating information - have you seen the transcripts of the letters from Murdo Mackenzie and Donald Ross in the document library?
Added by Estelle Quick on 06 June 2005.

Researching an Anderson family in Tain and environs:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=SHOW&db=airriess_family&recno=42

Any contact would be greatfully appreciated.
Added by Andy Airriess on 15 July 2005.

Hi. I am am 27 and lived in Bonar as a child. I also question where the pink house stood. I quite clearly remember the gardens as they were still there when I was a child. I can just remember the cottage, it was demolished when I was very young but much of the garden lived on. I believe it stood in the area near where the public toilets are now....some of the trees from the garden can still be seen today and you even find the odd flower in that area that doesn't belong in the wild. The Garden I believe was quite a show piece in it's day or so I was told.
I used to go for walks with various family members and friends of my family and was taken in to pick flowers to take home to my mam. My personal memories is of it being a "Secret Garden" it had an iron gate and hedges or tree's on all sides so with out going in you couldn't see it's great beauty. Even though it must have been quite over grown in my day, it was a wee bit of paridise to me at such a young age .
Added by S.D.M. on 30 January 2006.

Is this the same sawmill on the outskirts of Tain about 1947 49 if so my Grandad called Grant worked there.He and his family lived at Craighill Terrace Tain
Added by Doug Will on 25 February 2006.

No Doug. The one you refer to is probably Mackay's woodyard and sawmill which was located in Tain. I'll see if I can find a picture of that one to put up on the website sometime soon.
Added by Margaret Urquhart, Tain & District Museum on 27 February 2006.

Thank you Margaret may be lucky and have grandfather in picture
Added by Doug Will on 02 March 2006.

I found out that the pink cottage was near where the Caledonian Curry Company's building stands now. The gardens were where I said earlier on the other side of the road. I know the lady who was the last person to live in the pink cottage and will ask for a photo when I next see them. I also hope to add other old photos, from the local area, in the near future.
Added by S.D.M. on 03 March 2006.

Thank You Margaret Been so long ago have just got vague memories of it and it would be nice if there is a picture of it
Added by Doug Will on 04 March 2006.

Would this be the same sawmill as the one at Invercharron? In tracing my family tree I have found in the Kincardine parish register that Katharine Ross was born to David Ross and Mary Fraser on 19 March 1813 at sawmill of Invercharron.
Added by June dawes on 19 June 2010.


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