Wick has proudly cast off as the starting point for a new exhibition paying tribute to the legendary herring girls.
The Caithness town, once dubbed the herring capital of Europe, is a fitting launchpad for the ‘Following the Fish’ tour.
Opening on Thursday 8 May at Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives, the exhibition traces the journey and legacy of the thousands of women who gutted, cured and packed herring across the UK.
This compelling show is the result of a collaboration between High Life Highland’s Archive Service, Suffolk Archives, the Norfolk Record Office, and the Hebridean Archives.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation provided funding to bring the project to life.
Stories, photographs and treasured artefacts were gathered following a public appeal by the partners last year.
Archivist Lorna Steele-McGinn of High Life Highland described it as one of the most rewarding projects of her career.
She was struck not only by the women’s work ethic but by the stories of families managing life back home while the women followed the fish.
Among the many tales collected was that of a woman who walked from Kyle of Lochalsh to Wick to join the workforce.
At the peak of the industry, around 6,000 women from the Highlands and Islands would follow the seasonal fishing cycle around the coast.
They travelled by special trains, lived in makeshift accommodation, and became temporary fixtures in towns from Shetland to Suffolk.
The herring season ran from May to December, starting in the Western Isles and ending in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
The work was fast-paced and physically demanding, requiring the catch to be processed within 24 hours.
The women’s skill and stamina made them indispensable, and many forged new lives in ports far from where they were born.
In Scotland, the women kept their local identities, but once in England they were simply known as the Scotch Girls.
This exhibition not only brings their stories to light but preserves their place in British social history.
‘Following the Fish’ will travel across Scotland throughout the year before heading to Ipswich for its English launch on 22 May.
Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton of Suffolk County Council hailed the exhibition as a timely reminder of the women’s contribution to both community and economy.
Wick’s place in this history remains pivotal, not only as a hub of the herring boom but now as a beacon for remembering those who made it possible.
For future tour stops, keep an eye on the Highland Archive Service’s Facebook page or visit the High Life Highland website.
