People of the 20th Century
ROBERT GARDEN

Robert Garden – described by The Orcadian as “Orkney’s merchant prince” – died in 1912.

His legacy to the county would be what became Kirkwall’s Balfour Hospital after his widow bequeathed the money to erect, in his memory, the Garden Memorial Building which opened in New Scapa Road in 1927.

Born in Rayne, Aberdeenshire, he was not only Kirkwall’s biggest merchant of the day, but also the owner of a small fleet of cargo vessels and floating shops which served not only the islands but many of the remote and rural areas of the North of Scotland.

The floating shops were a feature of pre-World War One life in Orkney with vessels usually manned by three men – one handling groceries , one feedstuffs and cereals and another drapery. The boats would also collect eggs and lobsters.