About Me

Moffat, Scotland
The story of our Museum starts in 1984 when an imaginative group of local people set about establishing a Museum in the old Bakehouse. Since those early days it has flourished and though the collections have increased the area in which to display them can not. The space is limited. Additionally the delightful access through a cobbled pathway and stepped entrance is not friendly for visitors who have any difficulty walking. It has been possible through a generous bequest from an Australian member of the Moffat Clan to buy an adjacent building. We can now join these two buildings together and at a stroke both expand the display and storage areas and provide a new access from the main pavement. Work to create our new look Museum with all the palns for fresh projects which goes with it started in April/May 2012 and will continue till the end of the year. This BLOG or diary will record through simple text and pictures what we are doing as we are doing it. Please wish us well and come and see us in person when we are finished. In the meantime we will be happy to have your encouragement and any comments are very welcome.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Harthope House

Getting a lick of paint now that winter is past Harthope House is looking ready for Spring.  The colour scheme is approved for the period when the property was built.  It was formerly a Temperance Hotel.  Internally there are two main downstairs rooms and two upstairs - one wonders where the guests slept.  There is much work to do to transform the property for our use and to join this building to the existing Museum which was originally the Old Bakehouse and directly behind this one to which it will joined by a 3ft corridor.

Additionally the overall project of 'Taking the Past into the Future' will bring several exciting new ideas to Moffat.  These will include:-
  • The introduction of an Oral History Project which will record the memories of some of our oldest residents.  We will record memories of Moffat life from the railways, school days, agricultural and domestic life.
  • A Loan Box scheme which will make museum artifacts available to schools and community groups, reminiscence work and similar educational uses.
  • A Town Trail which will take the form of a map and interpretation boards to identify places and buildings of interest in the town and in the surrounding area.  These maps will be available from the Museum and other places within the town for visitors to better explore their surroundings.