If you were a farmer or a crofter in the Highlands looking to buy a tractor in 1956, you would probably have looked to buy a second-hand one.
New tractor dealerships were scarce in the Highlands in that year. Mackay’s Garage & Agricultural Co. Ltd, Central Garage, Dingwall, with branches at Thurso and Dornoch, was one such one. There was also James Ferries & Co. Ltd, Inverness.
You would have had to travel further afield, also depending on the make you were looking for. Into Aberdeen, there was Barclay, Ross & Hutchison, Ltd, with branches at Forfar and Perth, Harper Motor Co Ltd, William Elrick (Aberdeen) Ltd, and Geo. Sellar & Son Ltd.
In Aberdeenshire, there was Shearer Bros Ltd, Turriff, Commercial Garage, Turriff, James Duncan, Maud, W. & R. Murray, Alford and Cumming & Dempster, Banchory. In the north-east there was also Neil Ross (Elgin) Ltd, Elgin, and Elgin Central Engineers Ltd, Elgin.
Further south in Perthshire, there was Caledonian Tractor & Equipment Co. Ltd, Lairwell, and John Harper & Sons (Blairgowrie) Ltd, Blairgowrie, and Jack Olding & Co. (Scotland) Ltd, Coupar Angus.
You could have gone much further afield, but there was plenty of choice in the rich agricultural lands from Aberdeenshire to Perthshire.
The photographs were taken at the Highland Folk Museum Vintage Day, May 2016.
© 2016 Heather Holmes
