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Castletown Heritage Society Preserving the character, history and traditions of the Village of Castletown and Parish of Olrig

Projects & Resources

Resources & Downloads

Living Landscapes of Castletown

This project sought to document and reflect upon the 'living landscapes' of Castletown through the eyes of some of the people who live here. It sprung from a collaboration between Castletown Heritage Society and a PhD student named Julian Grant, whose research at the University of the Highlands and Islands focuses on the relationship between tourists and local communities around the North Coast 500.

Using disposable film cameras, the five participants in this project have created a set of images (and accompanying words) that show Castletown as a vibrant place where the land itself is etched with stories, relationships, uses and meanings. This reminds us all - visitors and locals alike - that this is not a remote wilderness but a peopled place. And, as you'll see in the subtle hints of pandemic and lockdown, these images are a record of the community at this moment in time: a 'heritage of now' for future generations to look back on.

Link to Living Landscapes Project

Castlehill Heritage Centre is located within renovated farm buildings immediately adjacent to the cutting yard and quarry of the now defunct flagstone workings at Castletown in Caithness. The buildings formed part of the Castlehill Estate which once stood at the very forefront of “Improvements” in the County of Caithness during the late 18th and the 19th centuries.

A guide to the fascinating history of the Castlehill Estate is captured in this PDF pamphlet (219kb).

Located just a few miles along the coast from the most northerly point on the Scottish mainland, the courtyard garden at Castlehill Heritage Centre is a hidden gem. From June to September the garden comes alive with stunning themed displays of plants and flowers that thrive in this remote and challenging environment.

A PDF copy of a pamphlet (1.68 Mb) describing the content and features of the garden is available for download.

Immediately adjacent to the Castlehill Heritage Centre lies cutting yard and quarry of the now defunct flagstone workings, from where flagstone was extracted, finished then exported to locations all around the UK and as far afield as Australia and South America. A fully accessible trail has been created around the remains of the workings, featuring informative display boards portraying the story of a piece of flagstone from the point of extraction to export at Castlehill harbour. A supporting pdf leaflet (6.12Mb) is available to download.

As you wander the Flagstone Trail the number of beautiful plants growing amongst the old workings may surprise you. The area is also teeming with wildlife.

A pdf leaflet (1.34Mb) explaining some of the natural features to explore is available to download.

MILLBANK The story of Thurso Mill and Foundry

In 1994, local historian George Watson researched and published a booklet on the fascinating history of the Mill at Millbank in Thurso, which dated back to 1800, and which was later the home to the Thurso Engineering and Foundry Company. As the foundry part of the buildings have been recently demolished, this booklet provides an invaluable record of what was one of the most important industrial developments in Thurso. The PDF booklet (379kb) is available to download.

In August 2005 Castletown Heritage Society staged a special exhibition to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) as part of a national series of 'Home Front Recall' events, sponsored by the Big Lottery Fund.

To support the event, Castletown Heritage published a 32 page booklet 'Castletown Recalls 1939 - 1945' which captures some personal recollections of local Castletown folk to reveal a glimpse of how the Second World War affected the lives of those living in Castletown and the surrounding area. The booklet also contains a succinct but fascinating history of RAF Castletown, thanks to the knowledge of local expert, Andrew Gutteridge.

A PDF copy of the booklet (1.64Mb) is available for download.

Copies of the acclaimed book Caithness Archaeology: Aspects of Prehistory are available for sale at Castlehill Heritage Centre.

Written by Andy Heald and John Barber of AOC Archaeology, the book is an eminently readable account of the archaeology of Caithness that provides an inspiring source for the study of people and place over time. Andy, John and others from AOC have supported Castletown Heritage Society on a number of our archaeological projects, including our year long LiDAR inspired project A Window on the hidden Bronze Age Landscape of Caithness, the results of which are on display in Castlehill Heritage Centre.

Copies available for sale at Castlehill Heritage Centre