Auchindrain for Argyll

On display at Auchindrain Museum are new child-friendly interpretation panels for the Township buildings which were designed and illustrated by the pupils of Furnace Primary School. Karen Baird, Class Teacher, Furnace Primary School says that:

“The children have thoroughly enjoyed their closer association with the Museum over this past academic year. They thoroughly enjoyed the days spent with you learning about the Township and hearing not only the history of the houses, but some of the anecdotes associated with them. It made the village come to life for them and was a marvellous starting point for our writing work when we came to work on the pieces for the information boards.

The level of interest generated by physically being able to walk around the buildings and see how things worked was immense. The children also felt that there was a definite purpose to their writing activities following this and it showed in the level of work, which was produced. Being able to take part in the Big Draw using the Museum was also a plus. The children really feel that it is “their” museum now”.

Auchindrain Museum has submitted an application to the Scottish Museums Council for consideration as part of the Scottish Governments Recognition Scheme which celebrates, recognises, promotes and invests in nationally significant Museum Collections which are held outside of the National Museums and Galleries in Edinburgh. Funded by the Scottish Government and managed by the Scottish Museums Council, the Recognition Scheme helps to make sure that these important Museum Collections are identified, cared for, protected and promoted to a wider audience. Auchindrain Museum’s application can be summarised as:

Importance Of The Collection

The major economic and social unit in the rural landscape of Scotland in the later and post-medieval period was the joint-tenancy farm township. In exchange for goods and labour, feudal landowners leased their land jointly to a group of tenant farmers. At this time farming was not for profit, but subsistence. During the period, known as the age of Agricultural Improvement (circa 1730 to 1830), landowners “improved” their joint-tenancy farm townships and turned them into more profitable single-tenant farms with enclosed fields. The Township of Auchindrain (the accessioned Collection) is considered to be of national importance in the study of agriculture in Scotland, because it was never “improved”; it did change, at a workaday level, from a joint-tenancy farm township in the 1700s to a single-tenant farm in the 20th century. Thus it can show the built response to evolving needs over several centuries. The Collection (Township) is made up of a range of fully representative agricultural buildings of the pre-improvement era including tenant farmers’ longhouses, domestic houses, barns, animal shelters/stables, a cart shed, a corn drying-kiln, the remains of a mill, walled gardens and part of a drove road. The Township of Auchindrain is of such national importance that Historic Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council designate it as both an A-listed site and an Outstanding Conservation Area. What remains at Auchindrain cannot be paralleled anywhere else in Scotland.

Quality Of The Collection

The quality and comprehensiveness of the Collection lies in the fact that Auchindrain is the most complete, surviving example of a pre-improvement, joint-tenancy farm township in Scotland. Having escaped Agricultural Improvement, the Township of Auchindrain continued to function as a working farm until 1962. This long history of occupation means that the settlement and its structures have experienced many changes in shape and function, whilst retaining a comprehensive range of architectural features not found elsewhere. The quality and comprehensiveness of the Collection also lies in the fact that unlike the relocated and reconstructed township buildings at the Highland Folk Museum, the Township of Auchindrain consists of an original set of farm buildings that have remained in-situ and are surrounded by the remains of ancient field systems.

The Role That The Collection Plays Within The Scottish Museum Sector

Auchindrain Museum has the only Collection in Scotland to consist of an original, pre-improvement, joint-tenancy farm Township. Along with the National Museum of Rural Life, with its working lowland farm, the Highland Folk Museum, with its Collection of relocated and reconstructed Highland buildings and the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum, with its north east farm and estate buildings, Auchindrain is one of four main Collections that reflect Scottish agricultural history. By its nature it complements and greatly extends the understanding provided by the other Museums.

Reputation

The quality and importance of the Collection means that it is cited in many publications and is regularly visited by students, scholars and interested lay people. It is also a key source in the study of Highland settlement and society in the period 1700-1850 for academics, students and schools. The Museum runs a programme of formal and informal lifelong learning activities based around the Township of Auchindrain and agricultural life in the past. The quality and importance of the Township of Auchindrain means that it attracts many repeat visitors and is well supported by an established Friends organisation.

Theatre Alba, Scotland’s best outdoor childrens’ theatre company will be performing their promenade play “The Magic Quest” at Auchindrain once a day during the course of the CHANTICA project from 20th until 26th July 2008.

“The Magic Quest” is a play for children. It received a four star review in the Scotsman and follows the journey of Corrieburn the elf and Tumshie, her companion on a quest to save their world. Using the assistance of the children in the audience they will solve the clues that they find on their journey to find the magical Dragon who is the only one who can save their world from destruction. They meet strange and wonderful people. Witches – good and evil, The Trout of Knowledge, The Singing Ringing Tree, and a very bad tempered Ogre. Will these folk help or hinder them?

Performance Times:

2pm on 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th July

11am on 25th July

11am and 2pm on 26th July

Performance FREE for Museum ticket holders (normal admission charges apply).

If you intend to attend a performance of “The Magic Quest” please wear waterproof clothes and shoes.

Auchindrain Museum will host the Scottish element of a twenty-four month European Union, Culture 2000 funded project called Culture, Heritage and Nature together in Contemporary Art (CHANTICA) from 20^th until 26^th July. The project will involve five partners in five European countries:

• Grampus Heritage & Training Limited (Cumbria, England)
• ARCH Network (Perthshire, Scotland)
• Vitra, Centre for Sustainable Development (Slovenia)
• STROPEK (Stropkov, Slovakia)
• e-isotis (Athens, Greece)

Each partner will bring young people (up to forty young people per partner) to work on a cultural action in each other’s countries in Scotland’s case at Auchindrain Museum. All of the partners will run actions at five-month intervals based around a cultural venue, starting with Slovenia in May 2008 and Auchindrain Museum in July 2008.

The cultural action that will take place in Scotland is based around the farm Township of Auchindrain and will take place from 20^th – 26^th July 2008. During the course of the week the Museum will be running a number of workshops led by artists and craftspeople where participants from the partner countries, the local community and visitors to the Museum can learn about and have a go at some of the traditional skills and rural crafts associated with the Township of Auchindrain. The Museum will post details of which workshops will be running and when nearer the time.

Participating in international projects such as CHANTICA will help to raise awareness of Auchindrain Museum both nationally and internationally. Through the workshop element of the project the Museum will be able to increase access to the Township of Auchindrain for a wide range of people, create new audiences for the Museum through its participation in this creative and imaginative project and encourage local people and tourists to pay a repeat visit or first visit to the Museum.

The Museum is working on this project in partnership with Arch Network who is based in Comrie, Perthshire. Arch Network is a Scottish Non Government Organisation promoting learning and development in natural and cultural heritage between Scotland and other European countries. Trainers, students and young workers have the opportunity to gain new skills and to expand their European point of view by becoming involved in international joint working.

To celebrate Highland Year of Culture come down to Auchindrain Museum and listen to local storyteller Patsy Dyer, tell some of Scotland’s famous folk tales, fairy tales, myths and legends in one of our unique historic buildings.

Date: Thursday 19^th July

Time: 2:30–4pm

Duration: 1 Hour & 30 minutes

Cost: Free To Local Residents & Museum Ticket Holders

Auchindrain Museum, By Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8XN.

Telephone: 01499 500235

E-mail: manager@auchindrain-museum.org.uk

Simon Yuill a film maker will be visiting Auchindrain Museum on Saturday 14th June. Simon is working on a documentary.

Dave Hutchinson, FSA Scot, Churchill Fellow 2001 and Chairman of the Scottish Vernacular Buildings Working Group will be working with the Museum Manager at Auchindrain Museum from Thursday 19th until Sunday 22nd June to identify, catalogue and research the Collection of furniture held by the Museum. Dave is a speciaist in Scottish furniture and his help with this work will be of great benefit to the Museum.

Auchindrain Museum has secured grant aid from Argyll and Bute Council, Museums Galleries Scotland and HIE, Argyll and the Islands to work with Theatre Alba, Scotland’s best outdoor children’s theatre company on a week of performances of the play The Magic Quest.

The Magic Quest is a promenade play for children, which was written site specific for the gardens at Duddingston Kirk in Edinburgh for Theatre Alba at the Edinburgh Fringe. When it was first performed it was given a four star review in the Scotsman.

The play will be revised so that it is site specific to Auchindrain, using the history and the geography of the venue within the plot. The basic story and characters will stay the same.

The Story

Follows the journey of Corrieburn the elf and Tumshie, her musical companion on a quest to save her treasured land that the Goblins wish to destroy. They recruit the assistance of the children who help solve clues that they discover along the way. Whilst on this quest they meet strange and wonderful people. Witches – good and evil, The Trout of Knowledge, The Singing Ringing Tree, and a very bad tempered Ogre. These folk help or hinder their journey to find the magical Dragon who is the only one who can save their world from destruction.

Quotes From The Magic Quest

Mr Bogle (A Goblin): We have acquired all this land for mining purposes. You will have to leave, and take those scunnersome bairns with you, because in about one hour the bulldozers will be arriving. They will destroy this land forever, because we have no time for flowers, and trees and burbling burns – too wet! There is to be no playing here, no laughing and no singing because all we are after is gold, lots and lots of gold.

Corriburn (An Elf): But you don’t understand, this is my home, and all these bairns have come here today to enjoy themselves. You cannot hack down trees and all the beautiful flowers. Where would all the birds go?

Trout: Don’t let the goblins win. Gold is no use if you don’t have any water or green grass to live by.

Witch O The Walloch: And what have we here? A bunch of folk out for a wee walk is it? A load of bairns and all! I canna stand bairns. Always running around the country laughing and singing and playing games. It should not be allowed. But who takes notice of me? It’s all – we must have playgrounds fur the wee souls, lots of bonny green grass and flowers. Bless their wee cotton sockies. Pah! I know what I would do with them. Put them all in my cauldron and boil them up for my dinner!

Theatre Alba: CV’S

Clunie MacKenzie

Clunie worked as an actor in Scotland for over 30 years with numerous theatre companies and on television, film and radio. She has worked with Theatre Alba as an actor since its conception and for the past six years has written and directed promenade plays for children, with a professional cast, for the company at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Duddingston Kirk Gardens.

John Sampson

John is an experienced and well-known musician who has worked in theatres all over the world, and in Scotland, as a musical director and as a musician and actor. John has composed and arranged music for Theatre Alba since its conception over 25 years ago.

Charles Nowosielki

Charles is a professional director of some 25 years standing. He formed Theatre Alba in 1980 and has been Artistic Director of The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Theatre Alba is dedicated to the promoting of Scottish Arts and has produced 40 plays in its history. These include the classics, “The Shepherd Beguiled” (Reid), “The Lass wi the Muckle Moo” (Alexander Reid), “The Puddok an the Princess” (Purves), “Macbeth in Scots” (Shakespeare/Purves), “The Wallace” (Conn) and the “The Bruce” (R. Silver).

The Highland cows owned by Duncan Crawford of Brenchoillie Farm, Furnace have returned to Auchindrain for their summer holiday. The cows known to their friends as Skye and Lewis said to Museum staff that they were glad to be able to return to Auchindrain and that they would do their best to try to increase the number of people visiting the Museum!

The Friends of Auchindrain are devoted to supporting and promoting Auchindrain Museum. Membership of the Friends costs:

• £10.00 per year for individual membership of the Friends
• £15.00 per year for joint membership of the Friends (2 x adults living at the same address)
• £20.00 per year for family membership

Friends of Auchindrain are entitled to FREE entry to the Museum. Friends also receive priority booking for Museum events and are invited to an annual buffet and drinks reception. Friends also receive one newsletter per year informing them about developments at the Museum.

If you would like to join the Friends please contact the Museum either by telephone, post, in person or by e-mail.

Telephone: 01499 500235

E-mail: manager@auchindrain-museum.org.uk