Maggies Hoosie.,

History Of Maggie's Hoosie

Fishing communities such as Inverallochy and Cairnbulg would have been heavily populated with fisher folk and their many boats. There would have been hundreds of boats in the harbour, actively being used around the coast. The fishermen, their wives and children would have lived in cottages like Maggie's. The local dialect is Doric and house is known locally as hoosie. The families would have lived and worked in the hoosie. Space would have been taken over by fishing equipment, nets, creels, baskets, etc as equally as normal living items.

Maggie's hoosie is a two bed roomed cottage - one room, which would have been used by the children, was also the kitchen and living area. There was a bed within a doored alcove which would be shut up during the day. The boys would probably have slept in the rafters on mattresses amongst the fishing gear. Maggie's parents would have slept in the But end of the hoosie, which also had a sectioned off bed. The beds mattresses were filled with chaff from the corn each year which the family would have got in exchange for fish. When Maggie's parents died Maggie moved into this end of the house and got the whole house to herself when all her brothers and sisters left home. Maggie remained unmarried and had no children. She was born in 1867 and died in 1950. She spent her life preparing and baiting fishing lines, curing, smoking, salting and drying the fish and selling the fish around the countryside. She would also barter fish for other goods and produce.

Most of the above is courtesy of the website 'AboutAberdeen.com.'

The house was 'rescued' by the local community who ensured it was presented as it had always been. Maggie never had electricity or an inside loo. It is run by volunteers so is only open June - September for a couple of days a week, so yet again, I missed viewing it.

We have all these gems all around.

Sadly our council has made cuts and short sightedly decisions have been made to close the Lighthouse Museum for the Winter, and possibly, Duff House, in Banff. Both places we needed to be able to send tourists who come 'out of season'. Scotland does not have a season. It is beautiful all year round.

I have mentioned the cafe at the Lighthouse Museum in this blog. The lady who has run it is looking elsewhere now, as she says, "You cant run a business that is only open 6 months."

That cafe was packed out every lunch time, with locals as well as tourists.

Will there still be a cafe next year?

Its true what they say that you never look at what is under your nose.

And councillors dont even look up, down, right or left.