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Tain & District Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1966 |
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| Location | Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland |
The Tain & District Museum is a cool place in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland. It's run by amazing volunteers and is open from April to October. This museum is part of a bigger visitor spot called Tain Through Time. It first opened its doors in 1966 and has a special collection of silver items made right there in Tain.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Story
The Tain & District Museum started because of a special event. In 1966, Tain was celebrating its 900th birthday since getting a royal charter. Rosemary Mackenzie was asked to put together an exhibition of local history items. This exhibition was so popular that it led to the museum being created!
Rosemary Mackenzie became the museum's first leader, called a curator. She loved Tain's history and had been collecting interesting local items for many years. She was especially careful to save valuable things when the local government changed in 1975. The museum's growing collection was kept in an old cottage. This cottage used to be where the caretaker of the Old Collegiate Church lived.
The museum also keeps a very old and important document. It's a papal bull from Pope Innocent VIII, dated July 17, 1492. This is a special type of official letter from the Pope.
Local volunteers are the ones who help run the museum. They make sure it's open for visitors from April 1st to October 31st each year.
Shiny Silver from Tain
What is Tain Silver?
The Tain & District Museum has a fantastic collection of silver items. These pieces were made in Tain during the 1700s and 1800s. From 2007 to 2013, the museum worked hard to grow this collection. They even got some help from a group called the Art Fund.
In 1997, the museum held its very first exhibition, and it was all about Tain silver! The show included silver items from the museum's own collection. It also featured pieces borrowed from other people and even from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. One of these special Tain silver items was even shown at a big event called the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow back in 1938.
Other Cool Things to See
The museum likes to keep things fresh! They often change many of their displays each season. For example, in 2011, some of the exhibits included:
- How local people from Tain were involved with Highland regiments (special army groups) in the 1700s and 1800s.
- The history of travel in the 1800s and 1900s, like railways, ships, roads, and bicycles.
- Life in Croft houses (traditional Scottish homes) and how people lived in the Scottish Highlands.
- The story of Tain Royal Academy (a local school) and education in the 1800s and 1900s.
- New technology that came into homes in the mid-1900s.
Clan Ross Center
The Tain & District Museum is also home to the Clan Ross Centre. If you have "Ross" in your family name, this is a great place to learn about your family history! The center shares the long story of the Clan Ross and how they are still active today. You can find books, DVDs, and other souvenirs about the clan here.
Long ago, from about 50 BC to 900 AD, many Picts (ancient people of Scotland) lived in East Ross. They made many carved stones. Some of these stones are still standing where they were placed. Others are displayed in Edinburgh or kept safe in the Tain museum. An example is the Ardjachie Stone. A small piece of the famous Nigg Stone is also kept at the museum.
Tain Through Time Visitor Centre
The museum is just one part of a larger place called Tain Through Time. This whole visitor center includes the old Collegiate Church and an old schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is now called The Pilgrimage. It has a gallery that shows the journeys of King James IV when he visited Tain long ago.
Awards for the Museum
In 1998, the museum won an award! It was part of the Hydro-Electric Scottish Museum of the Year Awards. They won for publishing a book called A Balance of Silver, a history of the old silversmiths of the Tain area.