Creel Loaders

In a back street in Dunbar, on a triangle of land peeping down to the sea, stands the evocative sculpture by artist Gardner Molloy known as The Creel Loaders.

Made of Witton Fell Sandstone from Yorkshire, the stone has a buff colour with pink intrusions, especially when wet.

The Creel Loaders shows two fishermen loading up a fisherwoman's basket with herring.

Fishwives were a group of indefatigable, strenuous women, managing homes and families, but juggling the job of carrying huge and heavy wicker baskets on their backs full of fresh fish to sell.

Working at the beginning of the 20th century, they were industrious and assiduous women, baiting lines for herring and mending nets.

When the catch was landed, they'd gut and cure the fish, ready to sell both locally and further afield. Some women walked many miles, their distinctive calls alerting people to their wares.

Fisher lasses were known to travel from Dunbar as far as Lauder. Treading the paths over the Lammermuirs, across the old Herring Road, it was a 58 mile round trip. Records show that some walked as far as Edinburgh, over 40 miles from Dunbar.

Imagine the crippling weight of carrying heavy, slippery, silvery fish so far in a wicker basket, on your back, on a rough track for mile upon mile?

It's interesting to note the negative connotations today of a lively bunch of women. I can just hear my mother-in-law expressing her disdain at girls in the town on a Saturday night, sounding nothing more than “a bunch of rowdy fishwives”.

All language comes from somewhere eh? Loud calls and cackles that travel on the wind!

This monument is a hat tip to those strong women and fishermen of Dubar.

Look at the composition of the sculpture. Two men are loading the huge basket on her back. I loved the detail of the wicker. It makes you want to run your fingers over the basket to check the coarse willow. And see how the weight of the basket is counterbalanced by the strap worn around her head. You can almost sense the tension in her neck.

It made me think of Soviet Social Realism with its sharp edges and stark expressions, depicting strong heroic figures, often closely positioned and connected, showing industrial progress and physical power.

Look at the characters in this sculpture above KFC in Minsk, Belarus!

The artwork is called 'Solidarity', and is by artist Anatol Yefimovich Arcimowicz.

Picture is courtesy of Atlas obscura website.

The fisherwoman's face seems to show drive and determination; perhaps trepidation for the long journey ahead.

At six foot, the figures are life-size, which in some way makes the story more tangible.

They're kept company by two stone moggies, which represent the site once known as Cat's Row, which led down to the harbour.

Sculpted by artist Gardner Molloy, who lives up the coast at Cockenzie, he describes his carving style as 'vigorous, simple and strong'.

He says “I relish the use of textural tool finishes to provide contrast. I feel that neat chisel marks enhance the finished surface”.

The artist is well loved in Dunbar, having several works in the area to commemorate significant people, such as local hero, naturalist and father of the national parks, John Muir, as well as the local doctor, Tom Badger, who worked alongside the RNLI and was a much loved and respected figure in the Dunbar community.

I love the detail in the traditional clothing worn by the men; the coarse natural fibre trousers and their knitted wool gansey. You can see the purl stitch of the wool, only it's chiselled stone.

Look at the heavy canvas folds in the fisher lassie's apron, protecting her skirt from the scales and guts. No wonder the cat is curling round her calves in the hope of finding some errant herring.

The two harbours in Dunbar were known as Cromwell, built in 1574 to accommodate the herring boats, and Victoria, constructed in 1840 by carving a channel through the ruins of the old castle, are remembered here, immortalised in stone.

The sculpture was designed based on an idea by Dunbar Shore and Harbour Neighbourhood Group. This is consultation at its best; art made for and with the people it reflects and impacts. Residents, tenants and businesses were asked what they wanted, and they offered ideas that would reflect their fishing industry heritage and past in a prominent place at the junction of Victoria Street and Castle Gate.

A piece was designed in quarter-size maquettes and shared with the people of Dunbar, who were happy with the way it told the tale of herring fishing in the town.

The piece was unveiled to the community in 2016.

Images from the East Lothian Courier

The Creel Loaders were a bright and bold reminder of the industry that kept Dunbar afloat, glowing gold in the sun on a Sunday night on our way home, marvelled at at close quarters and then from afar, enjoyed over a pint at The Volunteer Arms.

There's so much to do in this beautiful part of the Borders and East Lothian. We spent a great day dotting about visiting other people's suggestions; places like Dunbar Battery, Dunbar Castle or The Dunbar Bear. There are a myriad of castles, towers and doocots! Head over to the website and find many more places in East Lothian and beyond.