Highland Museum of Childhood ⋆ Ross and Cromarty Heritage

Highland Museum of Childhood

Attribution: unknown (The ruin of Free Church in Jamestown)

Highland Museum of Childhood

Located in a restored Victorian Station, built in 1885 in the Spa village of Strathpeffer, the Museum tells the story of childhood in the Highlands amongst hardworking crofters and townsfolk, where money and luxuries were scarce, and life followed the rhythm of the seasons; a way of life recorded by oral testimony, displays, and evocative photographs. Our own award-winning video “A Century of Highland Childhood” is also shown.

Explore the life of children, crofters and townsfolk and their customs and traditions.

Facilities on site are toilets, a garden and picnic area, plus ample parking with disabled parking bays and wheelchair access onto the platform.

There is a Coffee Shop which offers delicious home-made food, tea/coffee and baking to be consumed inside or at tables on the platform.

Several small units offer locally made gifts, crafts, food, original artwork, jewellery, cards, and more.

Image for Angela Kellie Doll and Toy Collection

Attribution: unknown

The Museum is also home to the Angela Kellie Doll and Toy Collection, displaying a changing selection each year. The museum has been commended for its child-friendly approach and offers plenty to do with quizzes, dressing-up and toys to play with, while accompanying adults, and children too, will appreciate the well-researched social history.

A welcome awaits school and other group visits to the museum and the education space – the Goods Shed. Booking should be made beforehand (tel 01997 421031). Information about the education and events programme can be found on the museum website. Click on the image below:

Highland Museum of Childhood
	The Highland Museum of Childhood is located in the old railway station in the spa village of Strathpeffer. Originally based on the doll and toy collection of former Strathpeffer resident Mrs Angela Kellie. It contains a collection of children’s toys, games, costume, books , photographs and much more.

Attribution: unknown

The story of "Tissie"

Tissie was one of the first toys received into the museum’s care when it opened in 1992. She was donated by local doll collector, Mrs Angela Kellie.

Tissie’s story begins in the mid-1800s when she was reputedly bought for the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Cromartie. During the Highland Clearances, the Cromartie family offered sanctuary on their land in the Loch Ussie area, re-locating families displaced from their homes further north.

The Countess and her daughter often visited these families and it was on one of these calls that they came across a sick little girl in one of the crofts. The Countess’s daughter gave Tissie to the little girl to encourage her to get well. The crofter’s family treasured the doll and generations of the family played with her until she ultimately passed into the care of Angela Kellie and then the museum.

Although Tissie has previously been on display in the museum, her fragile condition means that it is now critical for her to undergo specialist conservation to enable the museum to put her on permanent display for audiences to enjoy.

Attribution: unknown

View more photographs

Click on photo album to view thumbnails and then click thumbnail to see the full size images

Strathpeffer » Strathpeffer Places » Strathpeffer Pump room

Nurse lowering patient into mud bath

The patient would have been lowered into the mud bath by an extremely skilled nurse

A Mud Bath

After drinking the waters, Mrs Mitchell would have endured more torture by having a mud bath

Victorian gentleman

As you enter the Pump Room you are greeted by volunteers Maureen and Shirley, and, as you leave, the Victorian gentleman holding the "sweetie poke" (paper bag) is not offering a treat but suggesting you may wish to leave a donation in support of the exhibition you have viewed. You can, of course, purchase your own "sweetie poke" from the attractive range on display, or a souvenir from the gift shop.

Mrs Mitchell, preparing to "take the waters"

Mrs Mitchell, preparing to "take the waters". Each picture is said to tell a story, and this one suggests domineering wife and hen-pecked husband!

Mrs Mitchell, preparing to "take the waters"

These models show a patient consulting Strathpeffer physician Dr Fortescue Fox.

For more information about Dr Fortescue Fox please read the page about him under Folk on this website.

Highland Railway poster in the exhibition

Highland Railway poster in the exhibition. Visitors to Strathpeffer came via the Highland Railway Company which opened its branch line to the village on 3 June 1885. Until then, visitors made the final stage of their journey by horse-drawn coach, which was both inconvenient and not very suitable for the many guests who were older, in poor health or invalids. In the first decade of the 20th century the Spa was overflowing with visitors and the Railway Company built their grand 90-bedroom Highland Hotel, which opened in 1911 - it can be seen on the top left in the poster.