Author: Nicola Henderson

Narrator Wanted!

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Narrator Wanted!

Museums and Heritage Highland (MHH) is seeking an experienced narrator to work us on creating an engaging and inspiring audio introduction for the Highland Pictish Trail Audio Tour App – a development within the wider Highland Pictish Trail project, currently nearing completion and supported by The Highland Council, Highlife Highland and MHH.

The Trail covers Pictish stone sites across the Highlands, together with related museum and heritage locations. The narration will cover the welcome to the trail, as well as provide an introduction to a small number (two or three) of suggested itineraries and a short guide to each of the sites along the trail – about 30 in total. The total length of the narration will be around 40-50 minutes.

A script for the narration will be provided, though the person appointed will be encouraged to suggest any changes that they feel will add to overall ambience and effectiveness of the tour.

The person appointed must have prior experience in providing similar narration or voice-over for other applications, and it would be beneficial (although not essential) if he/she can also provide recording and editing functions so as to provide a set of finished recordings that can be used within the app.

The appropriate use of music as a background or as interludes will also be welcomed.

Copyright in the finished product will rest with MHH.

If you are interested in responding, please apply with details of your relevant experience, whether you can offer sound recording/editing as part of your service, and the cost for providing the narration/recording.

Reply to: Nicola Henderson by 1st December 2020
nicola.henderson@museumsandheritagehighland.org.uk

Opportunity – Events and Outreach Coordinator, Gairloch Museum

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Gairloch museum exterior

Gairloch Museum is inviting museum learning professionals and digital content providers to work with our Curator and volunteers to develop, deliver and market a programme of entertaining, heritage-related digital content and blended learning activities..

Download the full tender here –

Invitation-to-TenderDownload

Web Developer Wanted!

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Web Developer Wanted!

Museums and Heritage Highland are inviting tenders from professional web designers to work with us to develop a dynamic microsite that will present our Textiles Exhibition, titled ‘Highland Threads’.

Highland Threads is a partnership digital and physical exhibition using creative collaborations to develop innovative ways of engaging audiences by bringing together museums from across the Highland region to showcase the stories of Highland fashion through history. 

We want to commission a strong and active web presence for the project that will act as the exhibition portal and home for all the project’s digital content. This virtual exhibition must utilise a realistic, flexible and cost-effective platform for a variety of media content that will give an overall feeling for what the project is about and who it is for – audiences, researchers, makers.

We want this web presence to:

  • Present the costumes in a dynamic, engaging and contemporary style with strong interactivity.
  • Interact with the museum communities
  • Integrate with and strengthen the MHH brand
  • Promote the exhibition collection to a local, national and international audiences – including local people, tourists and history specialists
  • Be interactive, allowing ease of access to the both the main exhibition and the individual items

Please download the full tender here

Highland-Threads-microsite-tenderDownload

Spirit of the Highlands – what is it?

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Spirit of the Highlands – what is it?

Spirit of the Highlands is an initiative specifically designed to help boost tourism and economic growth throughout the Highland area by promoting its culture and heritage, supported by the Inverness and the Highlands City Region Deal.

One of the project’s aims is to create an ‘Autobiography of the Highlands’, a unique collection of stories held in a digital archive, all told by the people who live, work and visit here. 

This “Spirit:Autobiography / Spiorad: Fèin-eachdraidh” will be an authentic insight into life in the Highlands today, and the heritage that has shaped this unique region, in the words of people from across the Highlands. 

We want to hear stories of communities too, large and small – the local events that shaped it, or how global events have affected it; about its singing sands or Viking graffiti – the things that give it a distinctive fingerprint. All the stories will be available for present and future generations to enjoy in the “Spirit:Autobiography” digital archive. Some of the stories will be used to inspire artists in a series of commissions in the Spirit:360 project, and others will be the foundation of the ‘Spirit of the Highlands in 100 Stories’ exhibition in Inverness Castle when it reopens. 

We’re looking for stories behind the headlines of history, stories about people you might hear at a ceilidh: the uncle who worked on the hydro schemes; the sister that set up the local fèis, the niece that kayaked the Great Glen in record time. 

We live in an extraordinary part of the world, rich in stories that make us laugh, cry or gasp in wonder. Stories that inspire and thrill us, that make us think and imagine, or sing and dance.

Whichever part of the Highlands we live in, these stories and legends reflect who we are and how we lived our lives in the past, how we live them now and how we might live them in the future.

Sharing these stories will encourage people who live here, and visitors, to explore the Highlands and discover more about our extraordinary and unique area. It’s quite a gift to give.  

That’s what the Spirit of the Highlands project, including the transformation of Inverness Castle, aims to do. 

The call for these stories is now live, and people across the world are being invited to share them at www.spiritofthehighlands.com . Find out more through this short video narrated by Julie Fowlis. The closing date for submission of these stories is November 30th 2020. 

You can also follow and share the project through our social media channels Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

WANTED – Interpretive content developer

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WANTED – Interpretive content developer

GHM has been awarded a grant from the NLHF’s Heritage Emergency Fund to be completed by the end of January 2021.  The grant is to enable us to re-use existing researched content on elements of our local history collections to create new, inter-related, mini-exhibitions. We want to focus on the key audience of local people. 

The over-arching themes associated with specific objects are 

  • historic places in Rosemarkie and Fortrose  (specific sites in the villages)
  • elements from the 1955 celebration of the 500th anniversary of the creation of the royal burgh of Fortrose & Rosemarkie 

It is proposed that the contractor will engage with a small team of volunteers, or by other means, to identify engaging stories from the detailed background information which will be supplied. The contractor will write texts for use in actual displays, on-line shows for our website, blogs, etc. They will also list any additional imagery or other media that could be gathered or created after the completion of this contract to enhance the productions. 

The contractor is invited to consider the ways in which volunteers and other local people can be actively involved in this work, and should describe their planned approach in their response. This will enable GHM to use the products of this contract as a best practice model that can be replicated by small volunteer teams. 

The key audiences for these varied platforms will be local people and their diaspora, Fortrose secondary school and library users, local history enthusiasts across the Highlands and beyond, and people with a family history relating to the area.

Interested contractors should reply to this brief, indicating how these elements would be delivered, and examples of previously authored content. A budget of £2000 is available for this work, and the main part of the work is to be completed by 31 January 2021.

Please e-mail your response to doug.maclean@groamhouse.org by close of play on 24 October 2020. For further information on the requirements, please contact Jill Harden (jill.harden@groamhouse.org )

It is expected that selection will take place on 26/27 October to enable an early start to the project. Please refer in your response when you would be available to start work.

GAIRLOCH MUSEUM NAMED AS A WINNER OF ART FUND MUSEUM OF THE YEAR 2020

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GAIRLOCH MUSEUM NAMED AS A WINNER OF ART FUND MUSEUM OF THE YEAR 2020

Gairloch Museum has been announced as a winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020, the most prestigious museum prize in the world. In a unique edition of the prize and in recognition of the unprecedented challenges that all museums face this year, five winning museums have been named. They will equally share the £200,000 award, a 40% rise over previous years. 

The winning museums are: Aberdeen Art Gallery (Aberdeen, Scotland); Gairloch Museum (Gairloch, Scotland); Science Museum (London, England); South London Gallery (London, England); Towner Eastbourne (Eastbourne, England). They are awarded based on their achievements in 2019 – 20.

Dr Karen Buchanan, Curator of Gairloch Museum commented:-

“The recognition that comes with this award brings our small, independent museum to the national stage.  With the prize money, we will be able to invest in our planned outdoor museum space and procure expertise and equipment to redesign our events and outreach programme for a sustainable, digital future.   We rely on tourism to our small community.  Our Art Fund Museum of the Year status will boost visitor numbers in 2021, when our must-see event will be an exhibition of the art of Alison Dunlop RSW, celebrating the rugged beauty of the Shiants – the enchanted isles of the Minch.”

Today’s announcement kicks off a week-long celebration featuring live-streamed talks, events and digital activity, giving an inspiring opportunity to get involved with museums all over the country. 

The judges, Jago Cooper (Curator of the Americas, The British Museum), Dame Liz Forgan (Trustee, Art Fund), Ryan Gander (artist), Melanie Keen (Director, The Wellcome Collection) and Jenny Waldman (Director, Art Fund), reflected: 

“The story of the rebirth of this truly special museum, nestled on the remote north-westerly coast of Scotland, captivated the judges; a tale of people-power, determination, and local pride. The museum’s move in 2019 to a new home – not a grand new build but a repurposed nuclear bunker – transformed a village eyesore into an important visitor attraction.  It was the culmination of an 8 year, £2.4 million redevelopment project made possible by more than 120 volunteers.  The redisplay of the museum’s collection which encapsulates the history, culture, beauty and character of Gairloch and its new home have reanimated the village’s pride in its heritage, created a buzzing new community hub, and produced a sustainable cultural landmark for generations of visitors to enjoy.”

Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, said: “Congratulations to Gairloch Museum. The five Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 winners are exceptional examples of museums offering inspiration, reflection and joy in the heart of communities. The UK’s museums – admired worldwide and vital locally – were thriving before Covid-19. Now they can help rebuild our communities and confidence as we emerge from the virus.” 

Dr Karen Buchanan, Gairloch Museum’s Curator, will reflect on the museum’s achievements as part of a panel discussion at 11am on Tuesday 13 October, featuring all the winners of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 and Art Fund Director Jenny Waldman. Produced in association with The Art Newspaper and led by art critic and podcast host Ben Luke, registration can be made here https://art-fund.arttickets.org.uk/art-fund/2020-10-13-meet-the-winners-art-fund-museum-of-the-year

As part of the week-long celebration, Gairloch Museum is also holding a three-day archaeological dig at one of the Achtercairn Roundhouses, located just behind the museum (Wednesday October 14th, Thursday October 15thand Friday October 16th). On Thursday October 15th, local researcher, historian and Museum Director Jeremy Fenton will give a talk, describing the changes to and impact on the Gairloch area as transport links improved in the region through time. 

Other highlights of the week include Outlander star Sam Heughan reading a beloved folktale from the West Highlands of Scotland, pertinent to Gairloch Museum’s collection and local histories. Aberdeen Art Gallery will unveil Spotify playlists reflecting the museum’s collection. Towner Eastbourne will hold a daily ‘digital mindfulness retreat’ tapping into the beauty of the museum’s location and collection. South London Gallery will reveal a new poem inspired by Walter Crane’s wooden panel at the Gallery stating, ‘The source of art is in the life of a people’. The Science Museum will release a series of ‘Secret Science Club’ films on Instagram in collaboration with influencer Anna B that will explore the amazing experiments you can see in the museum’s Wonderlab: The Equinox Gallery. Find out more www.artfund.org/museum-of-the-year– add @artfund and #museumoftheyear 

VisitScotland has welcomed the news of the award as a boost to tourism in the North of Scotland.  Chris Taylor, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: 

“I am thrilled that Gairloch Museum has been chosen as one of only two Scottish winners of Art Fund’s prestigious Museum of the Year award.  I would also like to extend my congratulations to the other Scottish winner, Aberdeen Art Gallery. Both are equally-deserving of this accolade, demonstrating that their work over the previous year has stood out way beyond that of their competitors. 2019 was a transformational year for Gairloch Museum. At the heart of its relocation and reopening has been a huge community effort from a fantastic volunteer base, to successfully secure £2.4 million in funding to redevelop and transform a disused nuclear bunker into such a fantastic new visitor attraction and community hub. For such a small community, this is very inspirational. The Museum has further strengthened the cultural offering for visitors to the Highlands during what has been a hugely challenging year for the tourism industry.”

Wondering what to do with the kids this October? Try a Museum!

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Wondering what to do with the kids this October? Try a Museum!

This year’s October holidays are going to be a bit different. The weather is less reliable than in the summer months and in normal times we’d visit more indoor activities – the pool, soft play, theatre, museum. This year many things are not open and therefore choices are pretty limited. And those that are open you may be wary of visiting as the Covid-19 crisis continues or  are worried about what the experience will be like with lots of restrictions in place. As a lover of museums I was keen to get back, but with two young kids I was worried both about how safe we would feel, but also if touching and interacting was off the table, then keeping a 2 year old and 6 year old engaged would be very difficult.

I was wrong and write today to reassure you that a museum visit this October is a great way to entertain your little ones! I visited two museums in September – Gairloch Museum and Highland Folk Museum and was reassured that fun and learning could still be had in a safe way!

Gairloch is a traditional museum – in that it is indoors with a series of rooms telling different stories from history that relate to the Gairloch area. As per Scottish Government guidance all of us over 5 had to wear a mask entering the museum and wash our hands. We were greeted by a volunteer who explained the one way system, provided us with a guide and asked us not to enter a room while another family was there. Now, my 6 year old was happy wearing his mask in the reception area, but as we moved round the museum he got hot and wanted to remove it – I had suspected this would happen and raised it with the museum beforehand. As they were asking for one household only in each gallery we agreed that at ‘pinch points’ like the reception area or going to the toilet we would insist he wore his mask, but when we were in the gallery on our own with no other households we let him remove his. We kept ours on at all times.

Gairloch has also got the balance of what kids (and adults!) can still interact with and what  they can’t exactly right. If it is a delicate, historic object that is difficult to clean then touching is a big no-no (quite rightly), but for their interactives you were provided with wipes and hand santiser to use before and after any touching. This was fantastic. You felt confident that everything was clean and safe, while also ensuring that the museum visit was fun and engaging for your young child. My boys loved it and had such a fab time – we passed an hour, learned a lot and had fun!

Playing on the earthquake maker!

The Highland Folk Museum is an outdoor museum so social distancing and the like are a bit easier. Obviously you still make sure you stay 2m from anyone else visiting and if you go into any of the indoor bits, then please do put on your mask, but aside from that it all felt perfectly normal! You can explore old croft houses, shops, school and tool yards while also burning some energy on a good Highland walk and there is a playpark and picnic benches. So much for adults and kids to both enjoy and it is easy to spend half a day there.

In essence, a day out at a Highland Museum is a great way to entertain the kids this October – no matter their age! Please visit our page on what museums are open to help plan your great day out! https://museumsandheritagehighland.org.uk/highland-museum-re-opening-plans

 

Exploring Lost Inverlael with Ullapool Museum

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map of the Inverlael area

Museum Mangaer, Siobhan Beatson, tells all about this exciting new project that launched just before lockdown and is slowly building up steam.

Lost Inverlael: Finding Balblair is potentially one of the biggest projects Ullapool Museum has undertaken that did not require rebuilding walls or emptying the museum. It will certainly be the longest running project and in my opinion the most exciting. The involvement of archaeological activities combined with in depth research of the townships of Inverlael and Balblair and its people will bring the community together in a single mission to reignite local memory of the area and the lives of its inhabitants.

 There are several adjacent projects which include a cultural development of music and art, a recreation of the landscape and townships in Minecraft and a full digital interactive exhibit that will take a permanent place in the museum. The combination of the last two show how Ullapool Museum is stepping into the modern world and taking on new challenges to accent our engagement with the local community and our visitors which will hopefully develop an emotional connection to the project. With this blog we hope to involve our community and interested parties in the genus of the project, more recent events and how we plan to take the next steps.

The idea of exploring the history of Inverlael and Balblair was brought to us last summer by our now famous local historian Duncan MacKenzie, whose family had strong ties to the area. He had been brought up on stories of the Clearance of 1819/20 by Sir George Steuart MacKenzie of Coul. The folk tales of tenants being turfed out of their houses and having to set up a makeshift camp outside of Clachan church intrigued him to pursue the real story of the townships. He has spent many years playing detective and had conducted a significant amount of research on the land and in various archives. On the discovery of Land Tax records from the early modern period, he discovered that Balblair was valued considerably more than other townships in Lochbroom. This led to the educated assumption that Balblair, a township that had been all but forgotten even in the local community, had something significant to offer and was more notable than previously believed. A comment in some research read that Balblair was the largest township north of Dingwall. When all this evidence was presented to us we were all in agreement that we had stumbled upon an intriguing and previously lost story. We were eager to follow this up and Lost Inverlael: Finding Balblair was born.

In January we received confirmation of funding from Historic Environment Scotland, which gave us the green light for the project. In the early weeks of Lock Down we appointed the Archaeology team for the project. Highland Archaeological Services provided the best answers and foresight and we were thrilled to be able to offer a local company the opportunity to work with us. We also appointed Immersive Minds to the project who will conduct the recreation of the landscape and heritage in Minecraft (a block building computer game). We are very excited about this as it is something very different and gives us an opportunity to work with the local school children, and give them an opportunity to build parts of the landscape while learning about this history, culture and heritage through a very modern and familiar medium. The Crafting the Past website is available to look at which already has the preliminary landscape features. In June we were approached by Interface a consultation company who pair up digital projects with Universities to work in partnership. This has meant that we can look forward to developing an interactive museum display, which will be able to give our visitors all the details of the project in a user-friendly manner, with interactive maps, stories from the people who lived there, potential archaeology finds can be analysed and much more. The possibilities with this type of tech are endless and we hope to pioneer this use of technology for museums in the highlands.

The last couple of months have seen the start of the research programme of the project begin to take shape. Myself and our Reception and Admin assistant Arran MacDonald have started the groundwork for the more detailed research that will come later on. We have managed to collate a basic list of names in Family groups or individuals from the two eviction notices of 1819 and 1820. This gives us a good foundation on which to work on. Some interesting facts have emerged from this record, including the name of Lady Katherine MacKenzie (Ramsay) of Coul, who was the mother of Sir George Steuart MacKenzie. She is stated as the land owner in the eviction records, which we believe were left to her after her late husbands death to contribute to her upkeep. Further research into this is being conducted, including trying to find General Sir Alexander MacKenzie of Coul’s Last Will and Testament, which would confirm this theory.

We are excited to begin the project properly and we are working towards planning the community workshops for the winter period. This will involve bringing the whole team together including the schools and the archaeologists to develop a programme of workshops to inform the community of the details of the project and to involve them in various aspects of research, information gathering and potential volunteering opportunities. We hope to reach all aspects of the community from the youngest to the oldest and include all abilities and knowledge levels. 

While 2020 has had a shaky start, we hope that Lost Inverlael: Finding Balblair will bring a new enthusiasm and vigour to the end of the year. Which can take us into 2021 with a renewed outlook and endless possibilities.

Follow the project on their website – https://ullapoolmuseum.co.uk/elementor-1498/

Historylinks – the journey to reopening and beyond!

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Historylinks – the journey to reopening and beyond!

When COVID-19 struck, Historylinks Museum was already in the process of preparing to open for the 2020 season. All was suddenly on hold and our Curator and Museum Assistant worked from home before eventually being put on Furlough. During this time the Trustees and Museum Committee began the task of altering the way the museum worked in terms of its digital output. It felt really important to make sure that the local community and potential visitors still had access to the heritage, but in a different way. Funding was granted from MGS to update and enhance our popular Image Archive and make it even more user friendly and accessible. It also enabled us to set up an online ticketing service and pre booked museum tours via our website for when we eventually reopened. We managed to engage more people with our Facebook Page. The local community have been very active in commenting on posts and sharing memories jogged by the images. It has also been possible to set up a digital platform that has enabled us to share film clips from our Archive easily. 

By the beginning of July, it was clear that the Scottish Government was going to allow museums to reopen and so it was time for the Historylinks team to make a decision. To reopen or stay closed? It was not a decision that was taken lightly, but consultation with staff and volunteers revealed that everyone wanted to take steps to open the doors of the Museum once again. A few volunteers have not able to return for the time being because they are still shielding but all were supportive of the plan to reopen. Museum staff were back at work on the 8th July and working towards a reopening date of 18th July.

Another grant from MGS allowed us to buy the appropriate equipment such as PPE, hand sanitiser and other items we needed in order to reopen safely.

The staff and committee members then worked together to create as safe a space as possible in order to welcome back visitors. The first thing in place was a Perspex screen at reception and adequate PPE for all staff and volunteers.

With all this in mind we created our ‘7 steps to safety’. The steps are displayed outside the building and again in reception so that people can read and take in the information before entering the museum. A short film about what to expect in terms of safety measures when visiting will be up on our website soon.

One of the most important points in the 7 steps is the requirement for visitors to wear a face covering and sanitise their hands on entering the building. We have automatic hand sanitiser stations on entry and around the building with paper towels and bin provided.

The reception and retail area here at Historylinks can form a bottleneck for visitors because as well as the way in, it is the way out! The answer to this problem is a traffic light system on entry. This means that our staff and volunteers are in complete control of the flow of visitors. They are able to work the traffic lights remotely from the counter to allow only one party of people at reception at a time. This takes the pressure off the volunteer and allows them time to record track and trace details, fill in Gift Aid forms and explain the one-way system around the museum.

Some things have had to change more significantly. We decided to implement a ‘no touch’ policy around the building in order to minimise any cross infection. Our interactive displays were removed and the children’s toys put away into storage. The addition of polite reminders not to touch the glass cases or exhibits ensures that people are aware of our policy as they walk around.

Having to close the children’s room was sad for us as we love having youngsters in the museum. So, instead of toys in the children’s room they have a fantastic animated film to watch made by local children about Dornoch’s mythical fairy bridge ‘The Gizzen Brigs’. In addition to this, they can see the amazing masks created by our Young Curator’s for their Halloween walk last October. Plus, they can enjoy our story labyrinth in the grounds of the museum.

The addition of a new outdoor exhibition called ‘Domestic Life’ featuring objects from the 19th and early 20th Centuries means that we have enhanced our exterior displays, giving visitors even more to enjoy outside.

Despite the restrictions in the museum we have gone ahead with our new exhibition of Katherine Gray’s dress from 1710 and the display of our East Sutherland Longhouse project featuring a scale model of a pre-clearance settlement. 

Since reopening we have had a steady stream of visitors. Everyone so far has been compliant with our new rules. Occasionally we might have to prompt someone to use the hand sanitiser on entry but this has not caused a problem. Numbers are running at about 60% of the same time last year.  

Visitors have commented that they feel the museum is well organised and volunteers have said that they feel safe with the new safety measures in place. The most difficult thing is having to turn people away when we are at capacity. Especially if it is raining! We do try to encourage people to come back and can generally estimate when we will have room for them.

We do keep a stock of disposable facemasks for people who have lost for forgotten to bring their own.

The main thing we have learned is not to rush entry to the museum. People are always eager to get into the museum but we do have to take quite a lot of information, especially if visitors are Gift Aiding their entrance fee. Taking time to make sure that all the information is accurate is imperative for track and trace and our traffic light system has been very valuable in allowing that to happen.

Our opening times have changed slightly to 10.30am – 4pm but we are still open 7 days a week.

www.historylinks.org.uk

www.historylinksarchive.org.uk 

Highland Museum Re-opening Plans

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Highland Museum Re-opening Plans

Planning a trip to the Highlands and wondering if your favourite museum is open? Here is a comprehensive list that will let you know what their plans are, ways you can support them from afar and/or how to contact them to find out more. You can also check our map page to find out where they are – https://museumsandheritagehighland.org.uk/map

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**MUSEUMS THAT ARE OPEN NOW OR OPENING SOON**

Glencoe Museum

Museum of the Isles, Armadale Castle, Skye

  • NOW OPEN (reopened 6th August)
  • Until 18 October the museum will be open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 to 4pm.
  • Entry to the museum will be via timed ticket, purchased at the main ticket office. A one way system has been introduced with floor markers to maintain social distancing and hand sanitiser/handwashing facilities are available at entrance and exit. They are encouraging visitors to wear face coverings and are collecting visitor details to support NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect service as per Scottish Government guidance. Face coverings are required in our shop areas.
  • Audio guides will not be available at this time and the library is currently closed
  • All details and any changes to the above info will updated via our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Gairloch Museum

Ullapool Museum

  • NOW OPEN (reopened 1st August)
  • Opening Times will be – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 11-4, Saturday 10-5.
  • Customer details will be taken; 10 people Max inside the museum at one time; Masks to be Worn; One way system; Films shown on the hour; New Outdoor History Treasure Trail (both Adults and Children)
  • Can’t visit this year? Donate! Ullapool Museum Giving Fund – paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3920689
  • Website www.ullapoolmuseum.co.uk
  • You Tube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ullapool+museum
  • Social media links – facebook, @ullapoolmuseum | instagram, @ullapoolmuseum | Twitter, @Ullapoolmuseum | TikTok, @Ullapoolmuseum

Historylinks, Dornoch

  • NOW OPEN! (did so, on 18th July)
  • Open 7 days a week from 10.30am to 4pm. 
  • Visitors can just pay at reception or prepay online via their website or book exclusive use of the museum after hours for £30 for a group of up to 8 people. www.historylinks.org.uk
  • They have a traffic light system in place and a limit to 10 people in the museum at a time. All visitors are asked to wear a face covering if their health permits and to sanitise their hands on entry. There is also a sanitising station half way around the museum. There is a one way system in place and people are asked not to touch anything.
  • They have some new exhibits including an outdoor display of domestic object from the late 19th, early 20th century, an 18th Century dress and a display about their latest community project funded by HLF of a preclearance site at Dalnamain, Dornoch. The display features a scale model of the settlement c1800 made by a Historylinks volunteer and the Young Curators.
  • Their Young Curators have also created an exhibition of masks that they made for a Halloween walk last year. Each mask depicts a character from Dornoch’s history and they have written the interpretation in their own words.
  • They also have 4 films for visitors to watch and a brand new children’s quiz.
  • Keep up to speed via their websites and facebook, www.historylinks.org.uk or www.historylinksarchive.org.uk or https://www.facebook.com/HistorylinksMuseum/

Tain District Museum and Clan Ross Centre

Tarbat Discovery Centre, Portmahomack

NOW OPEN for pre-booked visits – to book a slot and find out more about your visit, go to their website – https://www.tarbat-discovery.co.uk/plan-your-visit/ You can also make a donation to support them there if you can’t visit this year.

West Highland Museum, Fort William

  • Opening Friday 4th September
  • Open: Tuesday to Friday 10am to 2pm
  • To book, please email: info@westhighlandmuseum.org.uk or telephone: 01397 702169 or 07985 251335 between 9am and 4pm (Monday – Friday)
  • Require face coverings, following of a one way system, no-touch policy, and will be taking customer details 
  • If you can’t visit this year, you can still support them: Website has a donations button, see below.
  • Follow their FB page to find out more about their digital projects and their Jacobite digital heritage trail.
  • http://www.westhighlandmuseum.org.uk/
  • https://www.facebook.com/WestHighlandMuseum/
  • Twitter: @WestHighMuseum

Timespan, Helmsdale

  • NOW Open
  • Open Monday – Sunday 10zm – 5pm
  • Please note, the museum and cafe capacity have been reduced, to ensure social distancing. You can book your slot in advance by contacting them on 01431 821327 | enquiries@timespan.org.uk
  • Please see our new reopening visitor guidelines to keep you covid-Secure and their community, staff and team safe.
  • Their latest online exhibition Real Rights explores land use and ownership, colonial history and climate change in the Iron Age, during the Highland Clearances and at the height of the herring fishing boom at Helmsdale.

Cromarty Courthouse Museum

  • Open on Saturdays and Sundays during August and September from 12am until 4pm. Admission is free.
  • Staff and volunteers will be on hand to advise you on your route through the Courthouse and they will ask all visitors to use the hand sanitiser provided, wear a suitable face covering and maintain social distancing. 
  • More details on their website – http://www.cromarty-courthouse.org.uk/ or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CromartyCourthouseMuseum/ 

Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie

  • NOW OPEN
  • Opening times: Thursday to Sunday from 1:30 – 4.15pm
  • Booking is essential, only 1 group in at a time,  maximum of 6 people in the group,  half an hour slots. You can book online at their website, www.groamhouse.org.uk or by phone at 07799 663984. 
  • Face coverings will be required.  Guided tour will be offered.
  • Even if you can’t visit this year, you can still engage in their work and support the museum. Ways to donate and see the work they are doing can be found on their website.
  • Their exhibition this year is ‘Book of Kells; Mysteries Revealed’ which is being put together in conjunction with Thomas Keyes.  
  • Web site: www.groamhouse.org.uk Facebook: GroamHouse Twitter: Twitter @ Groamhouse

Highland Museum of Childhood, Strathpeffer

NOW OPEN. times vary and booking is preferred so please call 01997 421031 or e-mail info@highlandmuseumofchildhood.org.uk when planning your visit. Also check their website. highlandmuseumofchildhood.org.uk 

Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore

  • NOW OPEN ( opened 29th July)
  • Opening times – Wed – Sunday 10.30 – 4
  • Booking system to be made public on Monday 27th – https://www.highlifehighland.com/highlandfolkmuseum/
  • Face coverings required in the toilets and shop
  • Donations link on booking system and on website

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

The Highlanders Museum, Fort George

Will be reopening on 11th September! More details to follow. Check their facebook page for updates – https://www.facebook.com/thehighlandersmuseum 

Mallaig Heritage Centre

NOW OPEN!
Follow them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mallaigheritage/
Visit the website for latest info http://www.mallaigheritage.org.uk/

NTS sites including Culloden Battlefield

  • Culloden is NOW OPEN (reopened 1st August)
  • They will be open 10 to 4 Wednesday – Sunday and are asking people to book online to come into the exhibition.  https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culloden/events
  • Brodie Castle, Inverewe gardens, Glencoe and Glenfinnan will be opening shortly. Check back for more details.
  • Abertaff House and Hugh Miller’s Cottage are staying closed for now

Russian Arctic Convoy Museum, Loch Ewe

  • Opening on a limited basis from Wednesday 12th August, Wednesday’s through to Saturday, until 31st October, 2020.
  • All visitors should pre-book a visit slot. Please contact the museum on 01445 731 137 or via e-mail at exhibition@theracmproject.org giving your name, phone no. & size of party.
  • Visits are limited to a maximum period of 1½ hours, beginning at either 10.00, 12.00 or 14.00
  • Entry fees remain the same as 2019 (adults £4, 12 to 18 £3). Payment preferably by contactless. Due to the closure since April, and the additional costs incurred in now opening with COVID-19 measures in place, any donations will be gratefully received.
  • Social distancing should be adhered to at all times during your visit. Face masks will be mandatory throughout the visit. If you do not have your own mask these will be available at reception at cost price. Please use the hand sanitizer provided at time of entry and during the visit.
  • Visit the website here – https://racmp.co.uk/

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**MUSEUMS STAYING CLOSED OR STILL DECIDING**

Nairn Museum

  • Staying Closed for the season
  • Currently working on a project titled – ‘Retail Therapy: Shops and Businesses in the Historic Market Town of Nairn’ which will involve a mixture of volunteers and locals. The aim is to gather memories, stories and photographs of Nairn shops and businesses to add to their archive, and they hope to have an exhibition on this next season.
  • Video tours of their exhibition spaces and current exhibition ‘A Woman’s Place: Prominent Women from the History of Nairn’ are being worked on and will be posted on social media.
  • Facebook link : https://www.facebook.com
  • Website link is: http://www.nairnmuseum.co.uk/ and you can also DONATE via the website to show your support!

Glenfinnan Station Museum – Not sure of plans yet. Call ahead – 01397 722295

Strathnaver Museum, Bettyhill

Are not reopening this season. You can still support them and engage with their work by visiting their website – www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk 

Wick Heritage Museum

Laidhay Croft Museum – Not opening – visit their website http://laidhay.co.uk/

Dunbeath Heritage Museum – Not currently open – follow their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DunbeathHM/

Brora Heritage Centre – Not sure of plans. Check their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/broraheritage/ 

Invergordon Museum – Are not opening this season – keep up to date on their news via their website http://www.invergordonmuseum.co.uk/

Grantown Museum – are still deciding. Check their website https://www.grantownmuseum.co.uk/

Elgin Museum