HISTORYLINKS is dedicated to the history of Dornoch and the surrounding area. It is the only VisitScotland 5 Star Museum in the Highlands and one of seven museums in Scotland to have gained this prestigious award. The permanent exhibition includes the Cathedral, feuding clans and Scotland’s last witch.
History
History
History tells stories about people, places and things to help explain to young people of any age why the world is as it is as they grow up and begin to question it.
Schools will choose different periods and settings and topics to cove during different Key Stages, but all of them are pretty well guaranteed to be rooted in actual places that can be visited, explored and enjoyed.
It has been a curious fact that for many years primary classes have studied the Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods, while secondary school syllabuses have been more engaged in post-medieval periods. For a while secondary courses involved a great deal of ‘topic work’. While this discipline still exists, the recent examination syllabuses have returned to an emphasis on historical periods and links.
But all periods and topics provide fantastic opportunities for school visits. We are so lucky that so many general and specialist museums and visitor centres exist in the UK. The problem is not a shortage of possibilities but how one sifts through the available opportunities to make choices.
The Historical Association website carries information about course, conferences, study tours, and the Association has published ‘The Historian’ magazine for many years. Handsam is also happy to help, please contact us on 03332 070737 or email info@schooltripsadvisor.org.uk.
Most venues will have teaching materials and activities geared to students’ different ages and aptitudes whether at primary or secondary level. All of them will set out to develop students’ ability to understand, analyse and evaluate key features and characteristics of historical periods and events studied.
Some venues will be easy to identify because they fit neatly with the period and topic being studied but others may offer new possibilities, not least to the teachers themselves. Teachers need and deserve their own stimulation.
Over the next four years there will be an upsurge in visits to the First World War battlefields. Because of this there will be an increase in companies offering visits and requirement for battlefield guides, especially in northern France and Belgium. There are bound to be discrepancies in guides’ knowledge and experience. Close research into the credentials of the company you are contracting with, and the company’s guarantees about guides, will ensure that your group will not be disappointed.
Main organisations:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum at Hadrian’s Wall
Viriconium, Wroxeter, Shropshire
The Jorvik Viking Centre, York
Offa’s Dyke Trail and Chirk Castle
The National Trust for Scotland
Clan Donald Visitor Centre, Isle of Skye
Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
Exeter Cathedral Education Centre
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
East Anglia Railway Museum, Colchester
The National Tramway Museum, Matlock
Venues for this Curriculum
The museum is located in Strathpeffer's charming old Victorian station where trains brought visitors to the village in it's heyday as a spa. Telling the story of childhood across the Highlands of Scotland, the displays reflect the stories of children, crofters and townsfolk and explore the customs and traditions.
Britain's first open-air museum
At the Highland Folk Museum we give our visitors a flavour of how Highland people lived and worked from the 1700s up until the 1960s! We do this by displaying over 30 historical buildings and furnishing them appropriate to their time period. Some have been built from scratch on site and some have been moved here from other locations.
Pictish and Celtic Centre for Ross and Cromarty
Our lovely museum is an outstanding centre for Pictish and Celtic Art in Ross-shire. The unique display is focused on 15 carved Pictish stones which all originated in the village, an important centre of early Christianity.
The exhibition tells the story of the town’s development using audiovisual and traditional displays. The Resource Centre provides internet access and family history research facilities for local people and visitors.
Glenfinnan Station Museum is a restored West Highland Line railway station on the ‘Iron Road’ to the Isles from Fort William to Mallaig.
The Glencoe Folk Museum was co-founded by Miss Barbara Fairweather MBE and Mrs Rae Grant in the 1960s, and for both ladies it was a life's work. In 1971 the museum was gifted the two cottages, which create the main building, by the late Hugh Grant.
The museum takes you on a journey through time showing how local people lived and worked in Gairloch through the ages.
● Marvel at how stone age and bronze age people existed with relatively limited technology and (to us) primitive utensils.
● Fathom the mysteries of a Pictish symbol stone.
The Centre provides a focus for the work of Dunbeath Preservation Trust: Registered museum; archaeological exhibition, Neil M Gunn literary landscape, engaging approach to landscape interpretation through art installations, photography and unique floor map.
Dingwall Museum presents many local artefacts and fascinating tales of human exploits which are unique to Dingwall within a landmark building, once the centre of local government. Over the years members have designed displays to create pictures of the past for visitors to study and enjoy.
Discover the romance, loyalty and valour of one of the last of the Jacobites: Cluny of the '45 who was hunted for 9 years after Culloden. He hid in caves and he held the horse for the officer who was searching for him!
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.
The Story of the Roman Capital of South Scotland
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.
Thirlestane Castle, originating in the 13th century, is one of the oldest and finest castles in Scotland. Exquisite 17th century plaster ceilings; Victorian kitchens; Historic Toy and Country Life Museum; adventure playground; woodland walk and picnic tables. Lunches and teas served in “The Old Servants Hall”.
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.
Built in 1803 as the Sheriff Court this is where Sir Walter Scott, author of such classics as The Heart of Midlothian and Rob Roy, dispensed justice to the people of Selkirkshire.
Explore Scott’s life, his writings and his time as Sheriff.
Whilst we offer fun kids trails and activity sessions throughout Summer- a range of specially tailored school visit are available year round.
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.
This fine example of a 16th century bastel house is set in a beautiful garden of pear trees. Displays tell the story of Scotland’s tragic queen through objects, paintings and textiles associated with Mary. One room is dedicated to exhibits relating to the Queen and her visit to Jedburgh in 1566.
Trophies won by Jim Clark OBE, the former motor racing champion whose home town was in Duns.
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