Herring girls

This statue on the seafront at Stornoway commemorates the herring girls, who flocked to ports like Stornoway to gut herring in the late 19th and early 20th century. An experienced herring girl would gut 60 herrings per minute, filling up the barrel at her feet. Each layer of fish would be covered in a layer of coarse salt. Barrels of Stornoway processed herring would reach as far afield as the courts of the Russian czars. The industry faded after the 1920s, and these days, Stornoway's fishing industry is but a shadow of its former magnificent self.

The flowers are a welcome reminder that spring is only 6 weeks away now.