Invergordon

For the locality in Australia, see Invergordon, Victoria.

Invergordon
Population	3,890 [1]
OS grid reference	NH715685
Council area	Highland
Lieutenancy area	Ross and Cromarty
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	INVERGORDON
Postcode district	IV18
Dialling code	01349
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Scottish Parliament	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Invergordon (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ghòrdain or An Rubha) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.

History

The town is well known for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. More recently it was also known for the repair of oil rigs which used to be lined up in the Cromarty Firth on which the town is situated. All the parked oil rigs have now been sold to overseas operators and for the first time in many years the Cromarty Firth lies virtually empty. The last one departed for India to be used by Essar Oil in March 2007. In the 1970s and 1980s nearby Nigg was known for the construction of these rigs. The yard used for this is now attempting to re-establish itself as a fabricator of large offshore wind turbines. For a number of years Invergordon boasted an aluminium smelter, and still has a grain whisky distillery - the output of which contributes to many blended whiskies. At present the port is visited by many large cruise liners each year, as the deep water port allows disembarkation for coach tours in the northern Highlands.

Since the 1970s some would perceive the town as a 'Glasgow colony', since many workers were imported from southern Scotland to work in the oil rig fabrication and aluminium smelting industries. As a result, the residents' accents often show more influence from Glasgow, than the surrounding Easter Ross dialect of Highland English.

Naval Base

A naval base in the early 20th century, evidence of which remains in the tank farm lying behind the town centre, which used to contain fuel oil and water for admiralty ships, and the Admiralty Pier, where once warships docked and which is now used for cruise ships in the summer and oil field support vessels through the year. One German bomb hit one of the tanks during World War II when a large flying boat base occupied much of the northerly coast of the Cromarty Firth, the result of this being that the fuel oil flowed onto the railway tracks. According to town history the bomb did not explode.

Culture

Invergordon is now the mural town of the Highlands and hopes to emulate the success of her mentor in Chemainus, British Columbia. Currently the town is adorned with a series of 17 murals. The paintwork created by a selection of artists tells the stories of the local community and the area. This trail is a result of a community project which was initially designed to integrate local community groups (17 in total took part). The trail, which was opened by the Princess Royal, now acts as a major tourist draw. Now Invergordon off the wall, the group who facilitated the project, are turning to new media and local people's help to create more quality art work in the area.

Infrastructure

The town is served by Invergordon railway station which lies on the far north line, connecting Wick with Inverness.

Panorama of Invergordon

Education

Invergordon has one secondary school, Invergordon Academy, and three primary schools, Newmore Primary School, Park Primary School and South Lodge Primary School

External links

• Invergordon Community Online
• Cromarty Firth Port Authority
• Park Primary School
• Invergordon Academy
• Invergordon Football Club
• (http://www.invergordonoffthewall.co.uk)
• National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (archive films relating to Invergordon)