Lossiemouth
The Souter Family, Killiney, Co Dublin / souterfamily@eircom.net / January 2003
Visiting Scotland was a special experience for us as both our families (Souter's and Munro's) originated from there. We knew that the Souter's had lived in Lossiemouth which is on the north coast of the Scottish Highlands. John's great grandfather Robert was born there but later moved to South Africa and settled in Cape Town. We had hoped to find out some information about John's family, but what we came back with surpassed our wildest expectations. This was thanks to the wonderful people we met there who went out of their way to help us retrace the Souter family's past.
Beach |
Harbour |
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The two outside photos on this page were taken at the approach to the beach which is overlooked by the Moray golfcourse. The Covesea Lighthouse can just be seen in the distance. The concrete stumps that are also visible in both photographs are the remains of anti-tank defenses errected during the Second World War. The Lossiemouth RAF base was built in 1939 and is one of the largest in Britain. The Tornadoes used for training added an exciting atmosphere to the town. The harbour photographed here is on the other side of the town.
View towards golfcourse |
Beach on Harbour side |
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The photos on this page have not all been placed according to geographical location. The beach in the middle picture is on the east side of town close to the little harbour. I included the photo on the right as I was amazed at the similarity of the coastline to that of parts of the Transkei and KwaZulu Natal. With no indication of how cold it was this particular view could have been taken in Scotland or SA.
Garden |
Front of House |
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Charlesville was the Souter's home in Lossiemouth. The current owner invited us to the house and allowed us to photograph and film it to our heart's content. This was a special event for us and we will always appreciate the interest he took in our 'quest'. The last photograph we have of Souter's still living there was taken in August 1947.
Beach |
Inside the House |
Beach |
Some more photos taken of the beach on the golfcourse side and one of Ryan inside Charlesville. The house has retained its original name as Isobel Souter, the original owner who built it, was married to Charles Innes.
Click on each photo to get an expanded view.
