In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Brora like this:
Brora, a village in Clyne parish, SE Sutherland. Standing on the coast, and on the Sutherland railway, at the mouth of the Brora river, 4½ miles NE of Golspie, it includes the suburbs of Inver-Brora, Kyle-Brora, and Glaslochin. At it are two hotels, Clyne parish church (e. 17-70; 900 sittings), Clyne Free church, a public school, a reading room, a post office, with money order, savings' bank, insurance, and telegraph departments, a railway station, and a small harbour; and fairs are held on the Friday of May and October before Beauly. ...
The rocks around it possess uncommon interest to geologists for the occurrence in them of a coal formation belonging to the Lias and the Oolite epochs, and for the juxtaposition of that formation with granite. The coal was worked as long ago as 1573, and at various subsequent periods, but ceased to yield a compensating output. A new pit was sunk about 1820 at a cost of £16,000, and struck, at 250 feet from the surface, a seam about 3½ feet thick; and coal, from that pit, was conveyed to the harbour on a railway 800 yards long. Four large salt - pans also were erected at a cost of £3327, and long gave employment to a considerable number of the inhabitants. Renewed mining operations for coal were commenced on a large scale in 1872, and since have yielded about 5000 tons annually, whilst at brickworks, under the same management as the coalpit, 686,278 brick and tiles were made in 1879. Sawmills and steam carpentry works have also been erected by the Duke of Sutherland, where fittings for all buildings in connection with the estate improvements are made. Peter Sutherland, or 'Luckie' (1768-1880), was a native of Brora. Pop. (1861) 482, (1871) 474, (1881) 532.
Brora through time
Brora is now part of Highland district. Click here for graphs and data of how Highland has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Brora itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Brora, in Highland and Sutherland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21351
Date accessed: 05th November 2024
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