Thanks to Sylvia Munro for the loan of James Ogston’s 1911 Poetry Book “Lilts Frae Cruden Bay”. The book has poems of local interest as well as poems from further afield, such as Rothiemay, Huntly and Hill of Fare, Banchory. The book has a number of Cruden Bay photo illustrations, below you will see Aulton Road when the Police Station was the last house on the left in the picture. St Olaf when it was the GNSR Hotel managers house is on the right.
Another photo from Sylvia Munro‘s book “Lilts Frae Cruden Bay”. It is good to see children playing in the Burn, it reminds me of my youth in Cruden Bay in the 1960s when we used to do the same thing. Is that 3 ducks I see to the right? Also the photo must be pre 1908 as the old two arch bridge is in the background.
A 1911 poem from Sylvia Munros book “Lilts Frae Cruden Bay”. The poem is about Hatton of Cruden and written By Port Erroll Poet James Ogston.
THE BONNIE HOWE AT HATTON.
This bein’ the bonnie month o’ June,
Let’s sing aboot oor ain toon,
There’s nae its marrow roon an’ roon,
The hamlet we ca’ Hatton.
The hamely dwallin’s in a raw
That nestle ’neath the spreadin’ shaw;
We’re cosy here when nor’ winds blaw
Aff Cruden Hill near Hatton.
And when the sky gets overcast,
And sleety shooers come fae the wast,
We’re sheltered fae the stormy blast
By Hobbie’s Hill at Hatton.
And when we hae a cauld east snap,
We’re sheltered then by Merry Tap;
And so we dinna care a rap
For east winds here in Hatton.
We canna change auld Nature’s law,
But then we dinna care ava
When fae the sooth the breezes blaw
Richt doon the howe to Hatton.
When Cruden folk like swarm o’ bees,
Auld Zion left, said we’ll be Frees,
They landed here amang the trees,
And built a kirk in Hatton.
And then as time it did advance,
They built a braw substantial manse,
On sic a sheltered pretty stance
As could be found in Hatton.
There’s been a twa-three ups an’ doons
Since we were wee bit rantin’ loons;
And noo they’re comin’ fae the toons
To spend a day at Hatton.
Altho’ oor words may seem uncouth
To them that’s comin’ fae the sooth,
They’ll say if they but speak the truth,
We’re hamely folk in Hatton.
And so I think ye needna fear,
That ye will hae to pay ower dear
For lodgin’s, when ye do come here
To spend a week at Hatton.
So don’t forget to tak a seat
Beside the mill whaur burnies meet,
Ye’ll find the scenery there complete,
A’ roon the howe at Hatton.
I’ve jist anither word to say—
Ye’re near to far-famed Cruden Bay
If ye should come a while to stay
For holidays in Hatton.
Since then we’ve prospered in galore,
We coont oor buildin’s by the score,
And still they add a little more
To swell the toon o’ Hatton.
They’re levelin’ doon an’ makin’ trig,
And noo they’re grown tatties big,
Ye’ll hardly ken’t fae Upperie’s rig,
The Auld Sandhole at Hatton.
Thanks to Sylvia Munro for the loan of James Ogston’s 1911 Poetry Book “Lilts Frae Cruden Bay”. The book has poems of local interest as well as poems from further afield, such as Rothiemay, Huntly and Hill of Fare, Banchory. The book has a number of Cruden Bay photo illustrations, below you will see Aulton Road when the Police Station was the last house on the left in the picture. St Olaf when it was the GNSR Hotel managers house is on the right.
This postcard shows the same stretch of Aulton Road, Cruden Bay as yesterdays photo but from the opposite direction. The photo is from the early 1900s, St Olaf is on the left with the GNSR Hotel and Laundry behind.