Where
The museum is in St Andrews, near the ancient Scottish town’s cathedral and castle.
What
Established in 1981, the museum is a 17th-century former fishing cottage and garden and one of the earliest domestic dwellings in the area. Its two floors once housed four fisher-families with just one room each.
The building was scheduled for demolition in the 1930s along with many other fishing cottages in its local area, called Ladyhead.“The local architect James Hoey Scott saved the house and sympathetically restored it,” says the museum’s manager and curator, Samantha Walker.
“He opened it all up – now the ground floor is one room, and the first-floor ceiling has been removed so you can see right up into the beams. He even installed a minstrels’ gallery so musicians could play while he hosted parties.”
The museum recently underwent its first major redevelopment to build essential facilities and create better access.
The museum’s exhibitions and collected stories attract audiences of all ages
Collection
The collections tell the story of domestic and working life in St Andrews from the mid-18th century onwards.
“We have a fisher-folk display guided by specific characters, such as the last fishwife of St Andrews, Joan,” says Walker.
“On the first floor, we focus on the development of St Andrews into a modern town and the history of the house itself. In the garden, we’ve recreated two shop displays, including Gordon Christie’s toy shop, a place lots of locals have fond memories of.”
Highlights
“Before the redevelopment, we couldn’t open the minstrels’ gallery for safety reasons. It’s a space people always wanted to see, so we put in structural supports, and now folk can go up there. It’s a quirky and unique space,” says Walker.
The new Garden Gallery is hosting Unbroken Threads, an exhibition co-curated by eight local Ukrainians.
“In the past, our temporary exhibitions have been historic,” she says. “It’s been good to work with local people and collect current stories for the future.”
Help at hand
The museum is run by a curator, two part-time staff members and volunteers, alongside 12 trustees.
Cost
An adult ticket is £7.50 and can be used for a year.
Sticky moment
The museum’s redevelopment was planned in 2019 and costed in 2020. “After Covid and with rising construction prices, the cost was a lot higher,” says Walker.
“We’re a small, independent charity and we don’t have a history of fundraising on that level. We also found out we needed a new roof. It was an anxious moment, but we managed to do it.”
Survival tips
“You have to be kind to yourself,” Walker says. “Not everything will go the way you think it will go when running a smaller museum, but if you don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s a lot easier.”
Future plans
“We’re looking forward to getting school groups and people who couldn’t physically access the building, [but] now we have the facilities,” says Walker. “We can also now plan our new programme post-redevelopment.”
Emily Godwin is a freelance journalist
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