Museums Galleries Scotland grant awarded for new Family History Centre at much-loved local museum
Nairn Museum has secured a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland, the Scottish Government’s National Development Body for museums in Scotland, to create a new Family History Centre.
The award will be used to extend and greatly improve access and facilities for local historians, family history researchers, professional genealogists, visiting academics, and amateur sleuths in Nairn and the surrounding areas.
The changes will enable Nairn Museum to accommodate and safely store a substantial recent donation of material collected by local author and historian, the late Alan Barron, former Director at the museum – including much in-depth research on local people and families, and a large number of family trees.
The refurbishment will:
Relocate the Family History Centre from the first floor to the ground floor of Nairn Museum, greatly improving access for visitors and enabling volunteers to assist with enquiries
Increase and greatly enhance storage facilities for the museum’s extensive collections of census records, accounts of births, marriages and deaths, valuation rolls, parish registers, local newspapers, etc.
Improve kitchen and toilet facilities for visitors and volunteers.
Melissa Davies, manager at Nairn Museum, said: “We are thrilled to receive this award from Museums Galleries Scotland, and can’t wait to get started on the work. The refurbishment will be carried out by local contractors, and will radically improve the experience for people visiting the museum to find out more about their relatives and ancestors. It will also provide excellent opportunities to build on the skills and knowledge of our dedicated team of volunteers – without whose support there would be no Nairn Museum”.
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said: “We are delighted to support Nairn Museum with a Museums Development Grant to create an accessible family history resource room. This new space will widen the sharing of the family history collection for the community and visitors through increasing the accessibility of this valuable resource.”
Nairn Museum is situated in the historic Viewfield House. It is a fully-accessible, family-friendly museum with a wide range of displays on the town and its local history. There are changing programmes of exhibitions and events, with everything from fine art displays to musical performances, together with special activities for children, families and special-interest groups. The museum is open from April to October each year, but can be visited any time by appointment. Contact Melissa Davies on 01667-456791 (or email: manager@nairnmuseum.co.uk) for further information.
Website: http://www.nairnmuseum.co.uk/