Helmsdale Fishing Village 1890

During the nineteenth century the village of Helmsdale in Sutherland was one of the largest centres for herring fishing in Scotland. The village and harbour were built around 1818 as part of efforts at economic development by the Sutherland Estate. The new fishing port was intended to provide employment and housing for families who had been forcibly driven out from farms in the Kildonan area during the Highland clearances.