What are they and what do they involve?
Museums are venues with the primary purpose of exhibiting items of interest, often of a historical nature. The exact focus of a museum will vary, but they always offer educational insights into their artefacts and can include extra activities such as workshops and guided tours! Nationally-recognised museums dominate the school trip agenda and often feature amongst the most visited venues in Britain.
Incredibly there are museums for pretty much everything you can think of in the UK - from Prams to Anaesthetic, Radar to Pencils, Locks to Lawnmowers, Mustard to Surfing, Straw to Dog Collars (the canine kind), Teapots to Gas, or Magic to Embroidery. Search our list of venues for topics these fantastic, quirky places feature and you'll be surprised what pops up! It might inspire a new approach to a curriculum topic or a different slant on your locality.
What are the benefits?
A museum can be a highly educational place, especially for those with prior interest in the subjects on display. Taking a student group that have been covering a specific historical event or time period to a relevant museum will enable them to really connect with the subject and create an extra dimension to their education.
What students is it suitable for?
Provided the content of the museum is suitable for the age group, all students can benefit from a trip to a museum!
Costs?
Some museums are free for the public to access but there are some venues that have admission costs due to the specific nature of the exhibit – make sure to thoroughly check out the prices of museums in your area.
Safety Implications?
Museums can be quite large and confusing venues, so make sure your group of students is properly supervised to ensure nobody gets separated from the group!
Accreditations?
There is a national accreditation scheme in operation for museums - find out more HERE about Accredited Museums.
The museum has displays relating to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the ’45 Rising, a portrayal of the history of the clan and artefacts relating to the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. It also holds photographs and items from the time that the Commandos trained at Achnacarry during the Second World War.
Museum Features
Caithness Horizons Collection comprises approximately 8,050 artefacts relating to the following subjects/themes:
Archaeology: This Collection mostly consists of archaeological material from Caithness, although there is a small Collection of material from elsewhere in Scotland and from other countries
Come and explore the Viking Heritage of Caithness. Discover the pre-Viking kingdom of the Catti and follow the progress of the Norse settlers from their Scandinavian homes to Shetland, Orkney and Caithness.
The galleries integrate Shetland’s museum and archives collections for the first time to tell Shetland’s story in the most complete and accessible way.
We have a wide range of tours, talks, films, workshops, trails and resources that will help you discover more about Shetland’s Past.
The Chambers Institution was established by William Chambers, one of the founders of the famous publishing house, in 1859. It houses a museum and gallery which present a lively programme of exhibitions throughout the year.
Trimontium Fort was the name of the Three Hills Place - in the lee of the Eildon Hills one mile from the town of Melrose beside the village of Newstead in the Scottish Borders.
This historic spa hosts exhibitions telling the story of Innerleithen and St Ronan's Wells, describing their connections with the great Scottish writers Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg.
The origins of the unique Cleikum ceremonies held in July each year are also explored.
Old Gala House is a composite building which has been added to and altered over a period of more than 400 years. The house has been a museum site since 1988.
As well as the permanent collection, there are three main spaces which cater for a changing programme of Fine Art and historical exhibitions: the Christopher Boyd Gallery and the Pringle Gallery.
The Moat Park Heritage Centre closed to the public in January 2014 so that the collection could be prepared for re-location to a new site on Biggar High Street as part of the new 'Museum of Biggar and Upper Clydesdale'. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
It is anticipated that the new museum will open in the summer of 2015.
Trophies won by Jim Clark OBE, the former motor racing champion whose home town was in Duns.
Jedburgh Castle Jail gives visitors a taste of what life was like in an 1820s prison, whilst also telling the story of the Royal Burgh of Jedburgh.
Hawick Museum's parkland location and fascinating displays reflect the endeavour of the town and its people. The objects and fine works of art collected are not just about Hawick but a window on the world.
The permanent displays allow many of our wonderful artefacts to be shown. The Jimmie Guthrie and Steve Hislop exhibitions make us a motorcyclists' Mecca.
An extensive collection of ironmongery is displayed in a recreated ironmonger’s shop. Other lively displays relate to the history of the building and to Selkirk. Temporary exhibitions are held in the Robson Gallery and video and audio-tape programmes are available.
The central point of the exhibitions is the magnificent 15 × 4ft tapestry which was sewn by local ladies to commemorate the Great East Coast Fishing Disaster of 1881, when 189 local fishermen were drowned. There are exhibitions also on farming, milling, the occupations of blacksmith and wheelwright, and of course the fishing heritage.
Moulin Kirk is situated in the centre of the conservation village of Moulin, near Pitlochry, Perthshire.
The present Kirk was rebuilt in 1875 after a devastating fire.
Its main features were an aisle which approached the Pulpit and Communion table from both sides, plus a superb area of galleried pews accessed from staircases by each of the two side entrances.
With more than half a million local, national and international objects, we have a Recognised Collection of National Significance to Scotland divided into Social History, Natural History and Art.
Here in the Atholl Country Life Museum, once the village school, you are able to capture that life of the past and learn about the great characters of the area, their skills and achievements, not only in the community but far beyond.
Alyth is a small rural Perthshire village overlooking the countryside of Strathmore. This is an area rich in farming, which is an inspiration and resource for the museum collection.
Enjoy a wealth of pictures and objects reflecting life as it was in and around Alyth.
The Museum of Abernethy was opened in May 2000. The building, which stands within the lands of the old Culdees monastery, dates from the 18th century. Originally consisting of a byre, stable and cattle rede, it was renovated during the 1990s to house the Museum.
Founded in 1837 by The Orkney Natural History Society, this museum mainly portrays the maritime and natural history of the islands. It has also ethnographic and archaeological collections. An extensive refurbishment of the 1858 building reflects the character of the Victorian museum while providing modern environmental standards.
The museum was founded in 1983. Orkney’s wartime history is strongly represented in the collection which covers the development of wireless in Orkney from the start of the last century to the present day.
The Orkney Museum tells the story of Orkney, from the Stone Age, to the Picts and Vikings, right through to the present day. There is a large collection of old photos and activities to amuse younger visitors. The Museum’s collection is of international importance and it has a changing temporary exhibition programme.
Kirbuster Museum was opened to the public in 1986. It is the last un-restored example of a traditional ‘firehoose’ in Northern Europe. The house has a central hearth and a stone neuk bed, a unique survival. Kirbuster was occupied up until the 1960s and was once the home of the Spence and Hay families.
Corrigall Farm Museum is a traditional ‘but and ben’ house. It portrays a typical Orkney farmhouse and steading in Victorian times - late 19th Century. The working barn and grain kiln, horse-drawn machinery and livestock make for an interesting visit for children and adults.
The Writers’ Museum celebrates the lives of three great Scottish writers – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.