New museum building complete

4th November 2013

Today Monday 4 November marks the official handover of the new state-of-the-art, £3.7 million Museum collections centre at Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore.

‘Am Fasgadh’ (meaning shelter in Gaelic, and the name given to the original Folk Museum, established by Dr.I.F Grant) will house more than 10,000 artefacts which have been collected since 1935 and represent facets of Highland life from the 1600s to the 1950s.

The building will also be home to a research library, a conservation laboratory, offices and two areas which can be used for seminars, training courses, meetings and education visits.

Whilst the primary purpose of the building will be to conserve and develop the artefacts of the Highland Collection, there are plans to offer public tours on a regular basis once the building is officially opened in spring 2014.

Linda Kirkland, Chair of the High Life Highland Board of Directors welcomed news of the building’s completion: “I am delighted that this new building is now complete, and am confident that it will become a significant feature on the cultural landscape of Strathspey & Badenoch, the wider Highlands and, in due course of Scotland.”

Councillor Alasdair Christie, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee welcomed the works at the Highland Folk Museum he said: “The Council’s programme is committed to working in partnership to develop the Highland economy. This excellent work with our partners in High Life Highland at the Highland Folk Museum is an excellent example of maximising the tourism potential of the Highland area while promoting our unique Highland identity and heritage.”

Am Fasgadh has been designed and built to the highest environmental standards and designed to blend into its location, the building’s walls are dressed with larch to complement the surrounding woods and indigenous Highland trees and the design references vernacular agricultural buildings.

Am Fasgadh will be officially opened in April 2014.

Highland Folk Museum web site - www.highlandfolk.com/