1880 - 1889

1880 Arbroath's fishermen number 150. Arbroath's police force number 16. 1880 St Thomas of Canterbury Church is beautified by the insertion of four stained-glass windows. 1880 Arbroath FC acquire Gayfield, formerly a refuse dump. Their first game at Gayfield is a 2-1 Scottish Cup win over Rob Roy FC of Callander. 1880 John Brodie moves to Arbroath & takes over a stationers business (ground floor of Guildry Building) in High St. Within two weeks the shop is destroyed by fire & the business moves to 10-12 Brothock Bridge. 1880 Smith's Charity & Milne's Charity are founded. 1880 (Jun 27) Vessel ' Earl of Northesk ' (23 tons) AH43 is registered at Arbroath. 1880 On astronomer Alexander Brown's retirement, the Meteorological Observatory Station is moved from Eastern Cemetery to Dishland Hill. 1880 (-82) James Myers Danson is minister at St Mary's Episcopal Church. 1880 The Arbroath to Montrose railway (previously via Froickheim) opens at a cost of £220,000. 1880 John Adam's drawings of Arbroath are reproduced as engravings by Amand Durand of Paris. 1880 (Oct 10) The Guild Hall is completely destroyed by fire. 1880 The School Board reports that the number of children on the school rolls is 3,501. 1881 (Feb) William McGonagall appears at the Trades Hall. 1881 The Guildry Building is erected. 1881 The population is 24,475. 1881 The 'Arbroath & Montrose' Railway is opened as far as Aberdeen. 1881 During this year the following boats are amongst those visiting the harbour: 'Orcadian', 'Jane & Hannah', 'Brittannia', 'Walker', 'Sunshine' & 'Strathbeg'. 1882 (Apr) Newly formed Arbroath Victoria (The Vics) Junior FC beat Sunrise 3-0 on the Common. 1882 Arbroath FC wear maroon strips for the first time. 1882 Harry Lauder, aged 12, arrives with his family to live for 2 years in Arbroath. He is obliged after his father's death to work in a flax mill & appears on stage for the first time in the town. He will go on to become an international star of theatre & films. He was born in Portobello on Aug 4, 1870. 1882 (Sep 19) Robert Anderson, Inspector of Police for St Vigeans Parish, dies. 1882 (Tues Oct 24) Grants Hillroad shoe factory suffers a devastating fire. Previously the old East Free Church, pitch pine from that building's pews, being used as lining & partitioning, assists the fire's progress. Mr Grant's new factory, being built adjacent to the old, is not damaged. The shoe factory will later become the Marine Ballroom. 1882 The dock entrance & part of the adjoining walls collapse. Repairs to this area are not completed until 1887. 1882 (approx) David D. Buick (in USA) devises a method of vitreous enamelling cast iron baths. 1882 The Water Committee of the Police Board have decided to sink two wells between Nolt Loan & Keptie Hill on ground leased from Mr Colvill's patrons. They intend to erect distribution tanks on the hill, with a pumping station at the wells. The patrons, however, dislike the sketched building and "having regard to the prominent situation the building will occupy, it is essential the proposed erection shall be of an ornate character". 1883 Abbey Works, on Ernest St, are built, the premises of Samuel & Alexander. 1883 'Round About The Round O With It's Poets' (including the John Adams engravings & the works of local poets) is published. 1883 A hall is built between Marketgate & the Brothock (a Drill Hall on the 1901 map, later the T.A. Hall & eventually the Arbroath Sports & Community Centre). 1883 Until this year, people entering the town from the south, would pay at the West Links Toll House a fee towards the use & upkeep of the town's streets. 1884 (Jan 29) The Arbroath schooner 'Wave' (79 tons), is abandoned off Gothenburg after the master & owner John Spalding, Alexander Baird (Mate), and crewmen Peter Lindsay & Charles Smith, all from Arbroath, were rescued by the bravery of the Captain & crew of the Swedish steamship 'Hugin' which lay by the 'Wave' for 23 hours in a heavy sea before tranferring the schooner's entire crew and landing them safely at Gothenburg. The 'Wave' had left Hartlepool with a cargo of potatoes on the 21st of this month and was presumed driven out to sea off Gothenberg by last week's gales. On the 26th of February, awards will be made by the Board of Trade to the Swedish Captain & three of his crew in honour of their selfless acts of courage. 1884 Letham Grange's mansion is much extended by architect John Rhind for James Fletcher. 1884 Mortuary Chapel, a neo gothic mausoleum (designed by Patrick Allan-Fraser) is built in the Western Cemetery. His stone mason is John Peters. 1884 A factory is built in Buenos Aires, Argentina which is equipped entirely with machinery made by Frasers of Arbroath. It had been discovered that the candlewick pleating machine could produce pleated rope for rope soled shoes (Spanish 'Alpargatas' or 'Espadrilles'). These are also produced in Arbroath & Froickheim and known as 'Baffeez'. 1884 Arbroath FC beat Glasgow Rangers 4-3 in the Scottish Cup. 1884 The Salvation Army starts it's good work in Arbroath. Originally 'The Christian Mission', founded in1865, the organisation adopted it's present name in 1878. 1885 (Feb 5) The 'new' Arbroath Herald is published by John Brodie at 10-12 Brothock Bridge, having four pages, three & a half being adverts, which show the following are currently trading in the town : 5 Hill Street - T. Booth, organ & harmonium sales ; 151 High Street - David Byars, dress maker ; 6 Lillies Wynd - Bell & Weir's boot repairer ; 29 Commerce Street - Patrick Brown, shoe shop ; 14 Keptie Street - Andrew Lorimer, hat shop. The 2nd issue has 6 pages & after 12 weeks the page size is much enlarged. The paper is issued free until 1887. 1885 (Feb 17) James Carr McDonald is born in Arbroath. He will become a fervant supporter of the Gaelic tongue & a staunch Scottish Nationalist. 1885 Auchmithie becomes a parish. 1885 John Lamb is born in Arbroath. Trained as a tailor's cutter, he emigrates to Australia in 1911. He forms a partnership in a business that in 1920 becomes Elliots Ltd, Menswear. In 1947 he buys a radio station in Newcastle (Austr) & a Sydney radio sta. in 1954. The family secure Newcastle's commercial television licence in 1960 & their TV station NBN-3 broadcasts in 1962. In the following years other broadcasting interests are aquired & the modest Lichtie (who never loses his accent) dies in 1974. 1885 St Ninian's Chapel opens. In November, an estimate is accepted to construct a pulpit & an extension to the Chapel. 1885 (Sep 12) Arbroath FC, in the Scottish Cup, beat Bon Accord 36-0, a world record as yet unbeaten. The Aberdeen team arrive in Arbroath with only 9 men & need 2 from the crowd to complete their side. Jock Petrie scores 13 goals. There is only one grandstand on the south side & the ground is along Ladyloan facing the old Ladyloan School. 1885 Arrott's Charity is founded. 1885 A very grand castellated Water Tower, officially entitled the Arbroath Corporation Water Works, has been built overlooking Keptie Pond and the water supply turned on in July. Froickheim architect W. Gillespie Lamont has designed the structure for a fee of fifty five pounds & builder Archibald Anderson has splendidly brought the drawings to life. Three tanks hold almost 200,000 gallons, each tank weighing 284 tons with a total project cost of roughly 8 thousand pounds. The tower will, however, be operational for only twenty years. 1886 To secure the purity of the water supply, a lease has been taken out on the land between Keptie Hill & Nolt Loan. The land is laid out as ' The Skating Pond', & is first used this year. It later, of course, becomes known as Keptie Pond. 1886 Newgate Bowling Club, laid out on part of the Newgate House garden, is formed. 1886 St Margaret's on Keptie Street becomes a quoad sacra Church, i.e. it's status is raised to an independent Church & Parish. 1886 75 years after Robert Stevenson's construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, his grandson Robert Louis Stevenson, author of 'Treasure Island', 'Kidnapped', etc, writes of his grandfather's achievement: "I might write books till 1900 and not serve humanity so well". R.L.S., one of Scotland's most beloved writer's was born in1850 and died in 1894. 1886 (Sep) The Trades Hall, at the corner of High Street & Commerce Street, is still in use. 1886 'Aberbrothock Illustrated' by T. Adams is published. 1887 Inverbrothock Free Church in James Street is badly damaged by fire. 1887 The Herald, now an 8 page paper printed & published every Thursday morning at Brothock Bridge, introduces a charge of 1d. John Brodie (printer, editor &publisher) is joined in partnership by James Boath Salmond. The firm of Brodie & Salmond have their HQ in the stationer's shop at 10 Brothock Bridge, behind which is the newspaper office. 1887 J.M. McBain's " Arbroath, Past & Present " is published. 1887 Thomas Moonlight, born in Arbroath in 1833, becomes Governor of Wyoming, U.S.A. 1887 A great storm claims the life of 9 local fishermen. Arbroath vessel 'Fleetline' finds safe haven at Dunbar, but crewman Jas. Swankie is lost overboard. Two Bell Rock fishermen, John Wylie & Peter Anderson perish. Deep-sea boat AH18, the 'Betsy & Helen' is lost with all crew: David Carrie (Skipper), Thos. Carrie, John Shepherd, Thos. Shepherd, David Cargill & Charles Swankie. Twenty nine boats (from Montrose & Stonehaven) find shelter within Arbroath harbour, but the overall toll along Scotland's east coast is 5 boats lost and 60 fishermen dead. 1887 Lochlands Cricket Ground is laid out. 1887 Shoemaking now employs 700 people. 300,000 pairs are made & sold this year. 1887 After being one of the most important industries in the town, there is not one shipyard left. 1888 Lifeboat 'William Soutar' is launched, skippered by William Brown. The vessel will remain in service until 1900. 1888 The dwelling house at the corner of Mount Zion Brae & Dishlandtown Street is Built. 1888 Women in Burnside, Alma & Netherward works come out on strike for a 5% pay increase. They suffered a 5% cut in wages in 1886. 1888 St Paul's United Presbyterian Church in Park Street is rebuilt. 1889 (Jan) The Victoria Public Buildings Co Ltd. buys ' 7 Gables'. 1889 Forfarshire County Council is established. 1889 Further improvements are carried out at Hospitalfield Estate. See archaeological findings detailed under '1861'. 1889 Inverbrothock Free Church (7 Gables) in James Street is abandoned when a new church is built at Hopemount. 1889 The United Original Secession Church is built in Maule Street.

From Grants
Shoe Factory to
Marine Ballroom

1882 Arbroath FC's First maroon strips

Arbroath's magnificent Water Tower, over specified in 1885 & silently screaming out to be used to the town's better advantage today, is the perfect backdrop to
Keptie Pond

Image copyright S. Hogg

1881 Arbroath Street Index

1881 Railway Time Table

1880 The Observatory is relocated at Dishland Hill

Harry Lauder

copyright Angus Council

Patrick Allan-Fraser & John Peters' Mortuary Chapel, Western Cemetery

Mortuary Chapel interior

Robert Louis Stevenson

1887 Lochlands Cricket Ground appears

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