Wick, Highland
Encyclopedia
Wick is an estuary
town and a royal burgh
in the north of the Highland
council area of Scotland
. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county
of Caithness
, of which Wick was the county town
. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. According to the General Register Office for Scotland
, Wick Locality had a population of 7,333 at the time of the 2001 census
.
Pulteneytown, which was developed on the south side of the river by the British Fisheries Society during the 19th century, was officially merged into the burgh in 1902.
The town is on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John o' Groats
with southern Britain
. The Far North railway line
links Wick railway station
with southern Scotland and with Thurso
, the other burgh of Caithness. Wick Airport
is on Wick's northern outskirts. The airport
has two usable runway
s. A third is derelict.
The main offices of The John O'Groat Journal and The Caithness Courier are located in Wick, as are Caithness General Hospital
(run by NHS Highland
), the Wick Carnegie Library and local offices of the Highland Council. Wick Sheriff Court is one of 16 sheriff court
s serving the sheriffdom
of Grampian, Highland and Islands.
rule in Caithness, which ended, conclusively, in 1266's Treaty of Perth
. The name Wick appears to be from a Norse
word, vík
, meaning bay. The Castle of Old Wick is on the coast about one kilometre south of the town.
Pulteneytown takes its name from Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a governor of the British Fisheries Society. In the early years of the 19th century Sir William commissioned Britain
's leading civil engineer
, Thomas Telford
, to design and supervise the creation of a major new herring
fishing
town and harbour at the estuary of the River Wick.
Pulteneytown was so named after the death of Sir William in 1805 and became a major player in the 19th century herring boom. It was built in order to supply work to the Gaels evicted during the Highland Clearances
. During this boom period the harbour was expanded still further by local shipbuilder James Bremner
. History of this era is preserved in the collections of Wick Heritage Museum.
As created by the British Fisheries Society, Pulteneytown consisted of Lower Pulteney and Upper Pulteney. Lower Pulteney was primarily a working area, built on a sandbank behind the harbour. Upper Pulteney was primarily a residential area, on higher ground.
Pulteneytown Parish Church
(of the Church of Scotland
) is located in Argyle Square and was opened in 1842. Services are held twice every Sunday.
The Old Pulteney whisky
distillery is in the Pulteneytown area. The first Caithness Glass factory was also in this area, but Caithness Glass has now left both the town and Caithness.
. Pentland Firth
line about 11 kilometres north of North Head.
There are three harbours in Wick, the Outer Harbour, the Inner Harbour, and the River Harbour, all of which are formed and protected by breakwaters
. The Outer and Inner Harbours are on the south side of the estuary, divided from the River Harbour by a breakwater. The River Harbour straddles the river, with breakwaters on either side of an entrance about 30m wide.
Wick Inner Harbour now has an extensive marina complex, and is fast becoming a base for leisure boating. It is also now a well known stopping point for visiting pleasure craft.
(Köppen
Cfb), encompassing a narrow temperature range, low sunshine levels and high winds. Despite its far north location, close to the path of atlantic depressions, rainfall averages below 800mm thanks to a Rain Shadow effect caused by mountains to the west.
of Caithness
in Highland
, Scotland
. The river
estuary
, is in the North Sea
bay of Wick and is straddled by the town of Wick. The source is at a height of about 25 metres, about 11 kilometres west and 2 kilometres north of the estuary.
includes Loch Watten
and Loch Tofingall to the west of the estuary, and Loch Hempriggs and the Loch of Yarrows to the south/southwest.
Viewed upstream from the estuary, the river and its tributaries can be listed as follows:
of Scouthal Burn
and Strath Burn.
Between the Loch Burn and Wick Bay the river meanders generally east/southeast-ward and receives water
from the following stream
s:
and from numerous smaller watercourse
s.
ranges from the vicinity of Wick Harbour to an area about 2.5 kilometres inland .
On both sides of the estuary, areas of Wick are built on artificial embankment which have narrowed the river channel, or have fixed a channel where otherwise the area would be more that of tidal
beach
.
dating from 1589.
In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
, the local government burgh
was merged into the Caithness
district of the two-tier Highland
region
.
In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the district was abolished and the region became a unitary council area.
From 1996 until 2007, the town of Wick was covered by two or three wards, each electing one councillor by the first past the post system of election. This year, a single Wick ward was created to elect three councillors by the single transferable vote
system. The new ward is one of three within the Highland Council's Caithness ward management area and one of seven within the council's Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross corporate management area.
There is also the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council, which was created in 1977, after the local government burgh had been abolished in 1975. The community council
is not a tier of local government but it is recognised as a level of statutory
representation. The community council represents an area which is much smaller than that represented by ward councillors, and the ward area also includes parts of other community council areas.
Wick is within the former civil parish
of Wick. The parish has that of Latheron
to the south, those of Watten and Bower to the west, and that of Canisbay to the north. The eastern boundary of the parish is Moray Firth
coastline.
, Dornoch
, Kirkwall
and Tain
in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons
of the Parliament of Great Britain
from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty
was added to the list in 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs
until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs
. It was represented by one Member of Parliament
. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Wick component was merged into the then new county constituency of Caithness and Sutherland
.
The Pulteney Distillery is an aging malt whisky
production facility in Pulteneytown. The distillery has a visitor centre in Huddart Street, and produces the Old Pulteney Single Malt whisky at a number of ages. Its 21-year-old single malt has been crowned the world's best whisky, by leading expert Jim Murray
, in his 2012 Whisky Bible.
Like Pulteneytown the distillery is named for Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet. The distillery was established in 1826 when Pulteneytown was quite newly established as a herring
fishing port. The distillery is the most northerly on the Scottish mainland and was quite inaccessible, when established, except by sea. Barley
was brought in by sea, and the whisky was shipped out the same way. At that time many of the distillery workers were also fishermen. Old Pulteney is promoted as a Highland
single-malt Scotch.
The distillery is now owned by Inver House Distillers Limited
. Other Inver House distilleries include the Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery
, Knockdhu Distillery
, Balblair Distillery
and Balmenach Distillery
.
scheme, centred on the Old Pulteney distillery in Wick, and a commercial company, Ignis Energy Limited, is planning to take it over
The council initiated the scheme, working to plans with origins evident in minutes of the 16 December 2002 meeting of the council's Caithness committee, and now has no way of recovering accumulated financial losses of more than £13 million
The scheme supplies heat to the distillery and to 247 private home
s, and Ignis Energy plans to install renewable-biomass plant, in replacement for existing fossil-oil plant, and to extend the heat supply to more homes
Ignis Energy plant will not be the biomass plant which the CHaP company has already tried using
However, the pending award of the contract, Ignis Energy has been mired in controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the company
In minutes of the 29 March 2004 meeting of the Caithness committee of the council, Integrated Energy Utilities and Brodies Solicitors are linked to the scheme
It was planned, originally, as a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power
scheme, producing mains grid
electricity as well as heat, and the CHaP company was formed by 7 July 2005, as a non-profit company with three directors, representing the council, the Pulteneytown People’s Project charity, and the distillery owners
Biomass gasification
plant failed to work as intended, however, and what had been planned as temporary use of fossil-oil plant became a longer term arrangement
Therefore, in 2008, the council had no real option except to take full, direct control of the company and, by February 2009, the council had to accept that the biomass plant then in place would never work satisfactorily
The Castle of Old Wick (58°25′24.09"N 3°4′53.91"W), known also as the Old Man of Wick was built in the 12th century when the Norwegian
earldom of Orkney included Caithness, and was united under Harald Maddadsson
. The castle is thought to have been his stronghold on the mainland of Britain. There is evidence that the site was occupied before the present castle was built.
All that remains today is a tall tower sitting on the very edge of the cliffs, about half a mile south of Wick Bay and of the modern town of Wick, but originally the castle had at least 4 stories as well as extra buildings containing workshops and other quarters.
During the 14th century it was owned by Sir Reginald de Cheyne who was a supporter of Edward I
during his attempt to establish John Balliol as King of Scotland
, although there is no evidence of a battle having taken place there. It was abandoned in the 18th century.
The castle was built to the same plan as Brough
Castle, which is about 29 kilometres to the north/northwest, on the Pentland Firth
coast of Caithness.
is now run by the Highland Council. As well as providing a general library service the library preserves valuable books and other documents about Wick and Caithness and their histories. Also it preserves a crocodile
(Gavialis gangeticus
) presented by Sir Arthur Bignold in 1909.
The library building also houses the North Highland Archive and the St. Fergus Gallery exhibitions. The North Highland Archive is part of the Highland Council Archive Service, and holds collections of official and private papers, the earliest dating from 1589, relating to Wick and the county of Caithness
.
Construction of the library building, 1897, was part funded by Andrew Carnegie
. It is at the junction of Sinclair Terrace and Cliff Road.
is now located upstairs in the Mcallan's store on High Street.
reported that the Guinness Book of Records had confirmed the world's shortest street, Ebenezer Place
measuring 2.06 metres, and containing just one door, was located in Wick . It had not previously qualified for the record because it did not have a full postal address.
in Wick, Wick High School
http://www.wickhighschool.synthasite.com/http://www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/school_info/wick.htmhttp://www.wick.highland.sch.uk/.
Hillhead's head teacher
is Ally Budge. As of January, 2008, it had an enrolment of 205 pupils.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5101824%20Hillhead%20PS.html Hillhead has been awarded an Eco-Schools First Green Flag award for Environmental friendliness. In April, 2008, Hillhead Primary was highly praised in a report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
. The Inspectorate reported that the quality of teaching and the imaginative learning experiences are key strengths at the school and it provides a caring, supportive and stimulating environment for learning. Head teacher Ally Budge was also highly praised as provided very effective leadership to the school, having the respect and loyalty of parents, pupils and staff, and having developed effective links with the community. The school received a rare "excellent" rating for its partnerships with the local community and parents. The inspector also reported that pupils are well-behaved and developing positive attitudes to learning and to each other.http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4489/Inspection_report_full_of_praise_for_Hillhead.html Other key strengths reported were approaches to promoting a healthy lifestyle, quality of teaching and the imaginative learning experiences, and attainment in mathematics.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5101824%20Hillhead%20PS.html
In September, 2008, Wick High School underwent an inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. The subsequent report was reasonable given the very short period of the inspection; mentioned as particular strengths were "Polite, well-behaved and considerate young people" and "The commitment by staff and the community to develop a wider range of activities for young people." Other aspects noted were "More young people now take part in activities related to sports and the arts. Many are committed to improving the quality of the environment and a group recently participated in a debate on the environment at the Scottish Parliament", and "The majority of tasks set by teachers meet young people’s learning needs. Those with additional and complex needs are well supported in their learning".
The way pupils view the school was stated as "Pupils now have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school through the introduction of uniform and positive approaches to encouraging good behaviour. Staff and young people have been very successful at improving the overall atmosphere in the school."
The school's expectations of pupils was described thus: "The school has high expectations of young people’s behaviour. Staff are applying the behaviour policy well in class and around the school. Staff with pastoral responsibilities give strong support. The climate for learning within the school has notably improved in recent years. Most young people enjoy being at school, feel safe and know those they can speak to if they are upset about something. The school celebrates success through the use of awards at assemblies, display boards in the corridors and articles in the local press. The school has recently made use of outside speakers to help raise attainment and young people’s expectations overall." This was published in a report given to all members of staff and all pupils. It was also made available on line.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5102138WickHS.pdf At the time of the report, there was an enrolment of 838, and the rector
was Alistair Traill.
Recently The Glasgow Herald conducted a survey of all of Scotland's
secondary schools. The survey gave a percentage of how many senior pupils had achieved five Highers or more in their tenure at the school, and a percentage of how many pupils received free school meal
s. In a list of Highland
Schools, Wick came 21st out of 30 with 5% of senior pupils having achieved five highers or more. This is 5% behind both the Highland average and the Scottish average of 10%. However, Wick came 3rd out of 30 when it came to free school meals, scoring 15.6%, both ahead of the Highland average of 9.6%, and the Scottish average of 12.7%.
Wick is also home to 1285 (Caithness) Squadron, Air Training Corps
.
play in the Highland Football League
.
Wick Triathlon Club
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
town and a royal burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
in the north of the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, of which Wick was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay. According to the General Register Office for Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland
The General Register Office for Scotland was a non-ministerial directorate of the Scottish Government that administered the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions in Scotland. It was also responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct...
, Wick Locality had a population of 7,333 at the time of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
Pulteneytown, which was developed on the south side of the river by the British Fisheries Society during the 19th century, was officially merged into the burgh in 1902.
The town is on the main highway (the A99-A9 road) linking John o' Groats
John o' Groats
John o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
with southern Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Far North railway line
Far North Line
The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :...
links Wick railway station
Wick railway station
Wick railway station is a railway station serving the town of Wick, in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. The station is the terminus of the Far North Line, near Wick police station and Caithness General Hospital, within the former county of Caithness.- History :The station was...
with southern Scotland and with Thurso
Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
, the other burgh of Caithness. Wick Airport
Wick Airport
Wick Airport is located north of the town of Wick in Caithness at the north-eastern extremity of the mainland of Scotland. It is owned and maintained by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited....
is on Wick's northern outskirts. The airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
has two usable runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s. A third is derelict.
The main offices of The John O'Groat Journal and The Caithness Courier are located in Wick, as are Caithness General Hospital
Caithness General Hospital
Caithness General Hospital is an NHS Highland and Argyll hospital in Wick, Caithness, Highland, Scotland.In 2003 a review of maternity services by NHS Highland and Argyll raised the possibility that these services at Caithness General would be down-graded from obstetrician-led to midwife-led. This...
(run by NHS Highland
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
), the Wick Carnegie Library and local offices of the Highland Council. Wick Sheriff Court is one of 16 sheriff court
Sheriff Court
Sheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
s serving the sheriffdom
Sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland.Since 1 January 1975 there have been six sheriffdoms. Previously sheriffdoms were composed of groupings of counties...
of Grampian, Highland and Islands.
History
Wick's history stretches back, at least, to the era of Norwegian ruleHistory of Norway
The history of human settlement in what is present day Norway goes back at least 11,000 years, to the late Paleolithic. Archaeological finds in the county of Møre og Romsdal have been dated to 9,200 BC and are probably the remains of settlers from Doggerland, an area now submerged in the North Sea,...
rule in Caithness, which ended, conclusively, in 1266's Treaty of Perth
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
. The name Wick appears to be from a Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word, vík
Vik (disambiguation)
Vik means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish , and it may refer to the following:-Places:Norway*Vik, a village and municipality in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway*Vik, Buskerud, a village in Hole municipality, Buskerud, Norway...
, meaning bay. The Castle of Old Wick is on the coast about one kilometre south of the town.
Pulteneytown
Pulteneytown is now an area of Wick on the south side of the River Wick. Until 1902 Pulteneytown was administered separately from the Royal Burgh of Wick.Pulteneytown takes its name from Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a governor of the British Fisheries Society. In the early years of the 19th century Sir William commissioned Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's leading civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
, to design and supervise the creation of a major new herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishing
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
town and harbour at the estuary of the River Wick.
Pulteneytown was so named after the death of Sir William in 1805 and became a major player in the 19th century herring boom. It was built in order to supply work to the Gaels evicted during the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
. During this boom period the harbour was expanded still further by local shipbuilder James Bremner
James Bremner
James Bremner a notable Scottish naval architect, harbour builder and ship-raiser.-Life and work:James, the youngest of the nine children of Janet and James Bremner, was born in Stain, near Keiss, in the parish of Wick, Caithness, in Scotland.At the age of 16, he was apprenticed for six years to...
. History of this era is preserved in the collections of Wick Heritage Museum.
As created by the British Fisheries Society, Pulteneytown consisted of Lower Pulteney and Upper Pulteney. Lower Pulteney was primarily a working area, built on a sandbank behind the harbour. Upper Pulteney was primarily a residential area, on higher ground.
Pulteneytown Parish Church
Pulteneytown Parish Church, Wick
Pulteneytown Parish Church is located in Argyle Square, Pulteneytown, Wick, Caithness, Scotland. It is a congregation in the Church of Scotland....
(of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
) is located in Argyle Square and was opened in 1842. Services are held twice every Sunday.
The Old Pulteney whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
distillery is in the Pulteneytown area. The first Caithness Glass factory was also in this area, but Caithness Glass has now left both the town and Caithness.
Wick Bay
Wick Bay is an isosceles triangle with the river mouth as its apex, and the points of South Head and North Head, separated by about one kilometre,as the base of the triangle. Beyond the heads lies the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Pentland Firth
Pentland Firth
The Pentland Firth , which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.-Etymology:...
line about 11 kilometres north of North Head.
There are three harbours in Wick, the Outer Harbour, the Inner Harbour, and the River Harbour, all of which are formed and protected by breakwaters
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
. The Outer and Inner Harbours are on the south side of the estuary, divided from the River Harbour by a breakwater. The River Harbour straddles the river, with breakwaters on either side of an entrance about 30m wide.
Wick Inner Harbour now has an extensive marina complex, and is fast becoming a base for leisure boating. It is also now a well known stopping point for visiting pleasure craft.
Map references
| Latitude and longitude Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position... |
Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with... grid reference British national grid reference system The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude.... |
|
|---|---|---|
| North Head | 58°26′31"N 03°03′22"W | |
| South Head | 58°25′55"N 03°03′58"W | |
| Wick Harbour | 58°26′21"N 03°04′54"W |
Climate
Wick, similar to the rest of the UK has an OceanicOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb), encompassing a narrow temperature range, low sunshine levels and high winds. Despite its far north location, close to the path of atlantic depressions, rainfall averages below 800mm thanks to a Rain Shadow effect caused by mountains to the west.
Wick River
Wick River, known also as River Wick, has its source near Achigale Mill at the northern end of Bardarclay Moss in the Flow CountryFlow Country
The Flow Country is a large, rolling expanse of peatland and wetland area of Caithness and Sutherland in Scotland. It is the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe, and covers about 4,000 square kilometres ....
of Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
in Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, is in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
bay of Wick and is straddled by the town of Wick. The source is at a height of about 25 metres, about 11 kilometres west and 2 kilometres north of the estuary.
River basin
The river basinDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
includes Loch Watten
Loch Watten
Loch Watten is a loch in Caithness, Scotland in the River Wick drainage basin. The name is a tautology, consisting of the word "loch" and vatn, a Norse word meaning the very same, found in such names as "Þingvallavatn" and Myvatn in Iceland, and "Røssvatnet" and "Møsvatn" in Norway.It is well...
and Loch Tofingall to the west of the estuary, and Loch Hempriggs and the Loch of Yarrows to the south/southwest.
Viewed upstream from the estuary, the river and its tributaries can be listed as follows:
- Wick River
- Burn of Newton
- Loch Hempriggs
- Burn of Thrumster
- Loch of Yarrows
- Burn of Thrumster
- Loch Hempriggs
- Burn of Gillock
- Achairn BurnAchairn BurnAchairn Burn, known also as Haster Burn, is one of the major tributaries of Wick River, in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. The burn's source is in headwaters flowing from the northern slope of the Hill of Toftgunn, which rises to over 170 metres, and in Camster Loch, which is at...
- Alt Beag-airighe
- Camster Loch
- |Toftgunn headwatersSource (river or stream)The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
- Loch Burn, WattenLoch Burn, WattenLoch Burn, flows out of the eastern end of Loch Watten in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, at a height of around 20 metres and about one kilometre north/northeast of the village of Watten. Less than a kilometre east of its source at Loch Watten the burn flows into Wick River....
- Loch WattenLoch WattenLoch Watten is a loch in Caithness, Scotland in the River Wick drainage basin. The name is a tautology, consisting of the word "loch" and vatn, a Norse word meaning the very same, found in such names as "Þingvallavatn" and Myvatn in Iceland, and "Røssvatnet" and "Møsvatn" in Norway.It is well...
- Loch Watten
- Scouthal BurnScouthal BurnScouthal Burn has its source in the Flow Country of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, at a height of around 50 metres, at the confluence of the Burn of Achorole and Alt Feithe Buidhe and about three kilometres south/southwest of the village of Watten.Scouthal Burn meanders generally...
- Burn of Acharole
- Loch Burn (Toftingall)
- Loch of Toftingall
- Loch Burn (Toftingall)
- Burn of Acharole
- Strath BurnStrath Burn, Wick RiverStrath Burn is a stream which has its source in the Flow Country of Caithness, Scotland, at a height above sea level of around 70 metres, at the confluence of Kensary Burn, and Rowens Burn, and about five kilometres south of the village of Watten....
- Kensary Burn
- Camster Burn, known also as Rowens Burn
- Burn of Newton
Tributaries
At its source the river is the confluenceConfluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of Scouthal Burn
Scouthal Burn
Scouthal Burn has its source in the Flow Country of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, at a height of around 50 metres, at the confluence of the Burn of Achorole and Alt Feithe Buidhe and about three kilometres south/southwest of the village of Watten.Scouthal Burn meanders generally...
and Strath Burn.
- The Loch BurnLoch Burn, WattenLoch Burn, flows out of the eastern end of Loch Watten in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, at a height of around 20 metres and about one kilometre north/northeast of the village of Watten. Less than a kilometre east of its source at Loch Watten the burn flows into Wick River....
of Loch WattenLoch WattenLoch Watten is a loch in Caithness, Scotland in the River Wick drainage basin. The name is a tautology, consisting of the word "loch" and vatn, a Norse word meaning the very same, found in such names as "Þingvallavatn" and Myvatn in Iceland, and "Røssvatnet" and "Møsvatn" in Norway.It is well...
enters the river at .
Between the Loch Burn and Wick Bay the river meanders generally east/southeast-ward and receives water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
from the following stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s:
- The Burn of Winless enters the river at ,
- Achairn BurnAchairn BurnAchairn Burn, known also as Haster Burn, is one of the major tributaries of Wick River, in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland. The burn's source is in headwaters flowing from the northern slope of the Hill of Toftgunn, which rises to over 170 metres, and in Camster Loch, which is at...
enters at Mary Ford , - The Burn of Gillock enters at ,
- The Burn of Milton enters at ,
and from numerous smaller watercourse
Watercourse
A watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
s.
Estuary
The Wick River estuaryEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
ranges from the vicinity of Wick Harbour to an area about 2.5 kilometres inland .
On both sides of the estuary, areas of Wick are built on artificial embankment which have narrowed the river channel, or have fixed a channel where otherwise the area would be more that of tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
.
Bridges
The river is spanned by one railway, three roads and two footbridges. In order from the sea, they are:- Within Wick , the Harbour Bridge spans the river at its mouth, to link Wick town centre with Wick Harbour and Pulteneytown. It stands instead of the earlier Service Bridge.
- Also in Wick , the river is spanned by the main road linking John o' GroatsJohn o' GroatsJohn o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
with LatheronLatheronLatheron ) is a small village and civil parish in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, centred on the junction of the A9 with the A99....
and Inverness (the A99-A9). The bridge here is known as the Bridge of Wick and it carries an extension of Wick’s Bridge Street. - Around 500 metres west of the Bridge of Wick , a footbridge spans the river via an islandIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the river, and this serves as a link between recreational meadowMeadowA meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s on the north and south banks. - About halfway between the footbridge and the railway bridge there is another footbridge.
- Around 300 metres east of Mary Ford , the river is crossed by the railway which links the burgh of Wick with the burgh of ThursoThurso-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
and the cityCityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of InvernessInvernessInverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. - In WattenWatten, HighlandWatten is a small village in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, on the main road between the county town of Wick and the burgh of Thurso, about twelve kilometres west of Wick and close to Wick River and to Loch Watten. The village is on The Far North railway line but trains stopped...
, the river is crossed by the main highway, A882, linking Wick with Thurso, known as Achingale Bridge.
Governance
Wick has history as a royal burghRoyal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
dating from 1589.
In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, the local government burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
was merged into the Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
district of the two-tier Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
region
Regions and districts of Scotland
The local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
.
In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the district was abolished and the region became a unitary council area.
From 1996 until 2007, the town of Wick was covered by two or three wards, each electing one councillor by the first past the post system of election. This year, a single Wick ward was created to elect three councillors by the single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system. The new ward is one of three within the Highland Council's Caithness ward management area and one of seven within the council's Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross corporate management area.
There is also the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council, which was created in 1977, after the local government burgh had been abolished in 1975. The community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
is not a tier of local government but it is recognised as a level of statutory
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
representation. The community council represents an area which is much smaller than that represented by ward councillors, and the ward area also includes parts of other community council areas.
Wick is within the former civil parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Wick. The parish has that of Latheron
Latheron
Latheron ) is a small village and civil parish in Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, centred on the junction of the A9 with the A99....
to the south, those of Watten and Bower to the west, and that of Canisbay to the north. The eastern boundary of the parish is Moray Firth
Moray Firth
The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
coastline.
Parliamentary representation
Wick was a parliamentary burgh, combined with DingwallDingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
, Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
and Tain
Tain
Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
in the Northern Burghs constituency of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
from 1801 to 1918. Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
was added to the list in 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs known also as Tain Burghs
Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Tain Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by one Member of Parliament .The first election in Tain Burghs was in 1708...
until 1832, and then as Wick Burghs
Wick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Wick Burghs, sometimes known as Northern Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918...
. It was represented by one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. In 1918 the constituency was abolished and the Wick component was merged into the then new county constituency of Caithness and Sutherland
Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)
Caithness and Sutherland was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
Pulteney Distillery
Malt whisky
Malt whisky is whisky that is made from a fermented mash produced primarily from a malted grain. Unless otherwise specified, it is generally assumed that the primary grain is barley, although whisky is also made using malted rye...
production facility in Pulteneytown. The distillery has a visitor centre in Huddart Street, and produces the Old Pulteney Single Malt whisky at a number of ages. Its 21-year-old single malt has been crowned the world's best whisky, by leading expert Jim Murray
Jim Murray (writer)
Jim Murray is an English writer and journalist. He is best known for his observations on whisky and his annually updated book on the subject, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible.-Life:Murray was born in Merstham, Surrey...
, in his 2012 Whisky Bible.
Like Pulteneytown the distillery is named for Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet. The distillery was established in 1826 when Pulteneytown was quite newly established as a herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishing port. The distillery is the most northerly on the Scottish mainland and was quite inaccessible, when established, except by sea. Barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
was brought in by sea, and the whisky was shipped out the same way. At that time many of the distillery workers were also fishermen. Old Pulteney is promoted as a Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
single-malt Scotch.
The distillery is now owned by Inver House Distillers Limited
Inver House Distillers Limited
Inver House Distillers Limited is a Scottish malt whisky distiller, based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. The company is now a subsidiary of Thai Beverages, one of the largest alcoholic-beverage companies in South East Asia, with a market capitalisation in excess of US$4bn.Inver House Distillers is...
. Other Inver House distilleries include the Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery
The Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery
The Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery was founded in 1897 by John Hopkins & Company for the sum of £17,000. The site was chosen by John Hopkins himself for its unpolluted water supply from the Granty Burn, one of the major tributaries to the River Spey...
, Knockdhu Distillery
Knockdhu Distillery
Knockdhu Distillery was established in 1893 by John Morrison.John Morrison had purchased the Knock estate from the Duke of Fife and shortly afterwards discovered several springs of fine water rising on the southern slopes of the Knock Hill. So taken by the quality of the water was Morrison that he...
, Balblair Distillery
Balblair Distillery
right|thumb|250px|View of Balblair DistilleryBalblair Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Edderton, Ross-shire, Scotland.Originally founded in 1790, the distillery was rebuilt in 1895 by the designer Charles C Doig to be closer to the Edderton Railway Station on the Inverness and...
and Balmenach Distillery
Balmenach Distillery
Balmenach Distillery was established in 1824 by James MacGregor, from a family of farmers and illicit distillers who resided in Tomintoul.- History :...
.
CHAP (Caithness Heat and Power)
Caithness Heat and Power Limited (CHaP) is wholly owned by the Highland Council and operates a district heatingCentral heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
scheme, centred on the Old Pulteney distillery in Wick, and a commercial company, Ignis Energy Limited, is planning to take it over
The council initiated the scheme, working to plans with origins evident in minutes of the 16 December 2002 meeting of the council's Caithness committee, and now has no way of recovering accumulated financial losses of more than £13 million
The scheme supplies heat to the distillery and to 247 private home
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s, and Ignis Energy plans to install renewable-biomass plant, in replacement for existing fossil-oil plant, and to extend the heat supply to more homes
Ignis Energy plant will not be the biomass plant which the CHaP company has already tried using
However, the pending award of the contract, Ignis Energy has been mired in controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the company
In minutes of the 29 March 2004 meeting of the Caithness committee of the council, Integrated Energy Utilities and Brodies Solicitors are linked to the scheme
It was planned, originally, as a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power
Combined Heat and Power
Combined Heat and Power may refer to:* Cogeneration* Combined Heat and Power Solar...
scheme, producing mains grid
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
electricity as well as heat, and the CHaP company was formed by 7 July 2005, as a non-profit company with three directors, representing the council, the Pulteneytown People’s Project charity, and the distillery owners
Biomass gasification
Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures , without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam...
plant failed to work as intended, however, and what had been planned as temporary use of fossil-oil plant became a longer term arrangement
Therefore, in 2008, the council had no real option except to take full, direct control of the company and, by February 2009, the council had to accept that the biomass plant then in place would never work satisfactorily
Castle of Old Wick
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
earldom of Orkney included Caithness, and was united under Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter of Earl Haakon Paulsson of Orkney...
. The castle is thought to have been his stronghold on the mainland of Britain. There is evidence that the site was occupied before the present castle was built.
All that remains today is a tall tower sitting on the very edge of the cliffs, about half a mile south of Wick Bay and of the modern town of Wick, but originally the castle had at least 4 stories as well as extra buildings containing workshops and other quarters.
During the 14th century it was owned by Sir Reginald de Cheyne who was a supporter of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
during his attempt to establish John Balliol as King of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, although there is no evidence of a battle having taken place there. It was abandoned in the 18th century.
The castle was built to the same plan as Brough
Brough, Caithness
Brough is a small village in Caithness in the North of Scotland. It is located on the B855 single-track road, the most northerly numbered road on the mainland of Great Britain, and is a few miles to the south east of Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the British mainland, and a mile or so...
Castle, which is about 29 kilometres to the north/northwest, on the Pentland Firth
Pentland Firth
The Pentland Firth , which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.-Etymology:...
coast of Caithness.
Heritage Museum
Wick Heritage Museum is in Bank Row, Pulteneytown. The museum is run by the Wick Society, with a strong focus on the herring-boom era of Wick's history.Carnegie Library
The Wick Carnegie LibraryCarnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
is now run by the Highland Council. As well as providing a general library service the library preserves valuable books and other documents about Wick and Caithness and their histories. Also it preserves a crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
(Gavialis gangeticus
Gharial
The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...
) presented by Sir Arthur Bignold in 1909.
The library building also houses the North Highland Archive and the St. Fergus Gallery exhibitions. The North Highland Archive is part of the Highland Council Archive Service, and holds collections of official and private papers, the earliest dating from 1589, relating to Wick and the county of Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
.
Construction of the library building, 1897, was part funded by Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. It is at the junction of Sinclair Terrace and Cliff Road.
Tourist Information Centre
The Tourist Information CentreVisitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
is now located upstairs in the Mcallan's store on High Street.
World's shortest street
In 2006 the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that the Guinness Book of Records had confirmed the world's shortest street, Ebenezer Place
Ebenezer Place, Wick
Ebenezer Place, in Wick, Caithness, Scotland, is credited by the Guinness Book of Records as being the world's shortest street at .In 2006 it surpassed the previous record set by Elgin Street, Bacup, Lancashire. The street has only one address: the front door of No...
measuring 2.06 metres, and containing just one door, was located in Wick . It had not previously qualified for the record because it did not have a full postal address.
Education
There are four primary schools in Wick, all run by the Highland Council. They are Hillhead Primary School, North Primary School, South Primary School, and Pultneytown Academy. There is one secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Wick, Wick High School
Wick High School
Wick High School is a secondary school in Wick, Scotland, under the control of The Highland Council. In September 2008 it had an enrolment of 838. Being one of only two secondary schools in Caithness, it takes in pupils from a large number of primary schools....
http://www.wickhighschool.synthasite.com/http://www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/school_info/wick.htmhttp://www.wick.highland.sch.uk/.
Hillhead's head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
is Ally Budge. As of January, 2008, it had an enrolment of 205 pupils.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5101824%20Hillhead%20PS.html Hillhead has been awarded an Eco-Schools First Green Flag award for Environmental friendliness. In April, 2008, Hillhead Primary was highly praised in a report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
. The Inspectorate reported that the quality of teaching and the imaginative learning experiences are key strengths at the school and it provides a caring, supportive and stimulating environment for learning. Head teacher Ally Budge was also highly praised as provided very effective leadership to the school, having the respect and loyalty of parents, pupils and staff, and having developed effective links with the community. The school received a rare "excellent" rating for its partnerships with the local community and parents. The inspector also reported that pupils are well-behaved and developing positive attitudes to learning and to each other.http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4489/Inspection_report_full_of_praise_for_Hillhead.html Other key strengths reported were approaches to promoting a healthy lifestyle, quality of teaching and the imaginative learning experiences, and attainment in mathematics.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5101824%20Hillhead%20PS.html
In September, 2008, Wick High School underwent an inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. The subsequent report was reasonable given the very short period of the inspection; mentioned as particular strengths were "Polite, well-behaved and considerate young people" and "The commitment by staff and the community to develop a wider range of activities for young people." Other aspects noted were "More young people now take part in activities related to sports and the arts. Many are committed to improving the quality of the environment and a group recently participated in a debate on the environment at the Scottish Parliament", and "The majority of tasks set by teachers meet young people’s learning needs. Those with additional and complex needs are well supported in their learning".
The way pupils view the school was stated as "Pupils now have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school through the introduction of uniform and positive approaches to encouraging good behaviour. Staff and young people have been very successful at improving the overall atmosphere in the school."
The school's expectations of pupils was described thus: "The school has high expectations of young people’s behaviour. Staff are applying the behaviour policy well in class and around the school. Staff with pastoral responsibilities give strong support. The climate for learning within the school has notably improved in recent years. Most young people enjoy being at school, feel safe and know those they can speak to if they are upset about something. The school celebrates success through the use of awards at assemblies, display boards in the corridors and articles in the local press. The school has recently made use of outside speakers to help raise attainment and young people’s expectations overall." This was published in a report given to all members of staff and all pupils. It was also made available on line.http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5102138WickHS.pdf At the time of the report, there was an enrolment of 838, and the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
was Alistair Traill.
Recently The Glasgow Herald conducted a survey of all of Scotland's
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
secondary schools. The survey gave a percentage of how many senior pupils had achieved five Highers or more in their tenure at the school, and a percentage of how many pupils received free school meal
Free school meal
A Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s. In a list of Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
Schools, Wick came 21st out of 30 with 5% of senior pupils having achieved five highers or more. This is 5% behind both the Highland average and the Scottish average of 10%. However, Wick came 3rd out of 30 when it came to free school meals, scoring 15.6%, both ahead of the Highland average of 9.6%, and the Scottish average of 12.7%.
Wick is also home to 1285 (Caithness) Squadron, Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
.
Sports
Wick Academy F.C.Wick Academy F.C.
Wick Academy F.C. are a senior football club founded in 1893, who currently play in the Highland Football League at Harmsworth Park. They represent the Caithness burgh of Wick, making them the most northerly club in the HFL....
play in the Highland Football League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
.
Wick Triathlon Club
Notable people
- William BarclayWilliam Barclay (theologian)William Barclay was an author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow.-Life:...
, theologian, born 5 December 1907, Wick, died 24 January 1978 - John BarnesonJohn BarnesonJohn Barneson was one of the most important figures in commerce and development on the Pacific Coast of California. He was responsible for the first oil pipeline in the State of California and was the Founder of General Petroleum which he later sold to Standard Oil of New York...
, businessman, born 1 January 1862, Wick, died 26 February 1941 - Alexander Henry RhindAlexander Henry RhindAlexander Henry Rhind was a Scottish lawyer and Egyptologist.Born in Wick on 26 July 1833 in the Highlands, Rhind studied at the University of Edinburgh...
, Egyptologist, 1833–1863 - Charlotte McShaneCharlotte McShaneCharlotte McShane is a professional Scottish born Australian triathlete and the 2008 Xterra U20 World Champion.McShane grew up in Helensburgh, Scotland, and in 2005 moved to a place near Bairnsdale, Victoria...
, a Scottish born Australian triathlete