Taken in the 1930s this view looking down High Street shows the Mansion House unpainted and the County Buildings.  Notice on the right a sign for Springfield Nurseries.  This business was set up as a specialist seed company by James Dobbie after he moved to the island in 1875 with his family.  The intention was that it would be run by his son, but after his son’s untimely death James Dobbie ran it very successfully himself.   Springfield Nursery was Dobbie’s main site but he also had premises in Eden Place and other places in the town.  The name lives on today as the business was developed on the mainland and thrives today with many very large Dobbie’s garden centres operating across the UK. (P03-1387, A6.106) (Rothesay Streets)