Discover a community shaped by fishing, faith, trade, people, and the changing of society.
Since 1971, the Wick Society has strived to protect and promote Wick's history. Today the Wick Society has under its wing the Heritage Centre, Isabella Fortuna, Johnston Collection, and Wick Voices - an oral history project. Please come along and view our displays for an amazing look back into the past of this historic town.
Find out more about the society's most exciting projects.
The Johnston Collection represents the work of three generations of Caithness photographers who captured images of life in and around the area between 1863 and 1975. They are now held in trust by the Wick Society.
Portraits, objects, and people from the Caithness past
Wick Voices aims to record the history of Wick and its neighbouring villages straight from the mouths of those who have lived it. For the first time these recordings are available to the public exclusively through this website.
Memories and first hand accounts from the community
The Isabella Fortuna is a superbly restored example of a traditional Fifie fishing vessel, built by James Weir of Arbroath, and launched on 15th September 1890. The Wick Society bought the Isabella Fortuna from Hobson Rankin and Michael May, in 1997.
A fine example of our great maritime heritageTouch here to get directions through your mobile device, or use the options below to plan your journey.
Choose a starting point for information about your journey.
We visited Wick heritage centre as the main part of an excursion, and I'm so pleased that we did. The heritage centre is very unassuming from the outside. Inside we were made very welcome by a team of highly enthusiastic volunteers of all ages. The centre is literally like a Tardis.
On a rainy day in Wick we decided to visit the Wick Heritage Centre. Parking outside what seemed to be a small terraced house we were surprised by the internal dimensions. It transpired that six houses have been used to house the Wick collection covering many interesting and varied aspects of Wick history.
This is a rare find. We expected to kill an hour or less, and stayed three. Only hunger for lunch drove us away. This museum is worthy of mention as a destination itself. Impressive collection, very well displayed. Run by volunteers.
The prints of photos from the collection were unbelievable making you wish some of these were relatives of yours. Everything from the history of the Wick fishing fleet and associated items, everyday things that make me feel old. The gardens were a bonus especially if you walk up to see the view from.
It's amazing how much history and how many artifacts they have preserved. They span a range of time frames. Staff, mainly volunteers are great about explaining the history behind many of the exhibits. It's worth the entry cost.
The Wick Society
18 - 27 Bank Row
Wick
Caithness
KW1 5EY
Wick Society
Wick Heritage Centre
Johnston Collection
Wick Voices