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

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Strathpeffer » Strathpeffer Social » Strathpeffer Burns Club

Burns Cover

The photographs and text which follow concern the annual Burns Nicht Celebration which took place in the Strathpeffer Hotel on Friday 21st January, 2000. The picture below is of the cover of the programme of events of 'The Nicht's Ongauns' The programme was sponsored by Andy Henderson and printed by the Inver-Ross Printing Co. Ltd. Dingwall There are also photographs of the proceedings from the 29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

Burns Photo

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959 In May 2019 RCHS received the undernoted photographs of a 1959 programme from Mrs Hazel Thomson whose husband's grandfather, Andrew Macleod of Kinettas Cottages, a local postman, had attended the dinner.

29th Anniversary Dinner - 23 January 1959

Guest

Strathpeffer Burns Club

Friday 21st January 2000 was the night that the members of Strathpeffer Burns Club had been looking forward to for many months - the 70th Annual Celebrations of the Bard to be held by the Club. To mark both the Millennium and the 70th Anniversary, a record attendance for recent years - ninety members and guests - assembled in Strathpeffer Hotel.

Guests

Bob Wilkie

Guests

Strathpeffer Burns cover

The President (Jock Watt) and principal guests

Guests

Piper

Addressing the haggis

Addressing the haggis. After a sumptuous meal purveyed by Sean Kennedy and his staff, the President gave his welcoming address during which he had made special mention of the fact the celebration was being photographed by Dr Kerr Yule for the benefit of the Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society's Millennium project. He also thanked member George Thomson for the gift to the Club of a beautiful table lectern which had belonged to his late wife, the Rev Morag Thomson. In concluding his remarks, President Jock Watt alluded to the fact that since 1958, member Leon Radin had served in every office, had proposed all the various toasts, had sung at many celebrations and finally, had, for many years, served the Club as President. In recognition of his faithful service, dedication and commitment to the Club, Leon was presented with Honorary Life Membership of the Club.

Receiving the haggis.

Speeches

Guests

strathburnsclub022b.jpeg

Hamish Polson

Guests

John Crawford and Alexander (Sandy) Glass

Jock Watt doing some last-minute homework?

Guests

Catherine O'Rourke

Fiona Larg, Alistair MacCallum, Leon Radin.

Donald MacKillop piping the President, Jock Watt and the principal guest, Ian Morrison, to the top table

The night got off to a stirring start with Donald MacKillop piping the President, Jock Watt and the principal guest, Ian Morrison, to the top table and returning shortly after to pipe the Haggis, which was borne aloft in the customary manner by James Matheson, to the top table. The tempo was maintained by the President who addressed the Haggis in his own inimitable style much to the delight of his audience.

Fiona Larg getting instructions?

Fiona Larg getting instructions? Responding to Bill MacAllister's excellent Toast, Fiona Larg, Group Business Manager with Cap Gemini, very capably equalled Bill's humour putting the men folk firmly in place. She questioned whether today's men possessed the same charm that Robert Burns obviously possessed - again illustrating her theory with much wit. Fiona concluded by making the observation that if the three wise men had been women, they would have got there on time, helped with the birth, cooked a casserole and would have taken sensible presents. Again, a standing ovation was the order of the day as the audience expressed their delight at Fiona's response to the Toast of the Lassies.

Bill MacAllister

Bill MacAllister That well known journalist and broadcaster, Bill MacAllister was then called upon to Toast the Lassies. A speech, full of the native wit alluded to by Alastair MacInnes earlier in the evening, had the audience in tears of laughter before moving to a more serious examination of Burns's love of women quoting appropriately from many of his love poems. Bill concluded with his own ode to the women folk, reaping a standing ovation to his endeavour.

An animated Stewart Macpherson with Hamish Menzies in the background.

Hugh A Mackay

Hugh A Mackay Hugh Aberach MacKay, one of the north's foremost Burns orators himself, very eloquently proposed the Toast to Our Club and Artistes.