Case Studies

With funding from Museums Galleries Scotland, the Scottish Maritime Museum embarked on an ambitious project to restore Vagrant, a 19th century racing yacht. Boat building manager Martin Hughes explains how this restoration created new training opportunities and succeeded in revitalising a traditional craft.

The Kickstart Scheme (2021- 2022) highlighted the need to support youth employability with high quality work experience. In this case study the Museum of Lead Mining and Kickstart employee Calum share their experiences of youth employment.

This Case Study is About: Underpinning the foundations of a collection by bringing together over 150 years’ worth of dispersed information on a digital database. You should read it if: You are interested in ensuring the longevity of a collection by raising standards in collections care and management.

This project developed from a desire to share the George Bain Collection of Celtic art with creative practitioners to broaden the collection’s reach and to create new understandings of George Bain’s work and its contemporary role.

Recognising that the pandemic and associated restrictions were impacting on the experience of services for children and their families, Culture Perth and Kinross developed CPKPlay, a new website full of activities, short films, and creative ideas to engage and entertain their younger audiences. In this case study they reflect on their experience developing the website.

By employing innovative digital technologies and working with sector professionals, ‘Highland Threads’ online exhibition reflects the quality of museums and diverse collections that can be found across the Highlands. Nicola Henderson, Innovation and Network Manager at Museums and Heritage Highland, talks about the partnership work between 14 museums and heritage centres to create ‘Highland Threads’.

This project focused on the creation of a suitable conservation environment inside Perth Museum & Art Gallery’s stores. The lab was designed to enable the Conservation Officer to progress work on preparing collections for a major new cultural attraction in Scotland.

In 2019 Gairloch Museum moved to a new building – a repurposed nuclear bunker. Through the journey of their redevelopment this museum has successfully won the support of their community, raised the profile of the area nationally and attracted enthusiastic new visitor audiences.

A joint project between Craigowl Primary School, HMS Unicorn, Museums Galleries Scotland, and Developing the Young Workforce.

The aim of this project by Comann Eachdraidh Uibhist A Tuath (North Uist Historical Society) was an exploration of the unique and threatened shoreline of North Uist and the machair land lying behind the marram grass dunes.

At the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of lockdown, the Museums of the University of St Andrews pivoted to offer an upcoming on-site wellbeing programme online. Eilidh Lawrence, Assistant Learning and Access Curator at the Museums of the University of St Andrews, talks about creating a digital wellbeing programme.

Claire McDade, Project Manager for The Skylark IX Recovery Trust, talks about the Trust’s work, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to deliver woodworking and boatbuilding skills training to people from Alternatives Community Drug Charity in West Dunbartonshire, who are recovering from drug addiction. The Trust hopes to expand and build the Spirit of Skylark Centre in Dumbarton with key partners, the Scottish Maritime Museum, at the Denny Ship Model Experimental Tank, over the coming years.