Highland Folk Museum - 26

It is now time for Divine Service and we shall be attending Leanach Mission Church.



Leanach Church was erected as a 'Mission Hall' in partnership between the Church of Scotland and the Free Church to fulfil a community need for a place of worship on land that once formed part of Culloden Battlefield. The church became redundant in the 1980s, and so the Museum acquired it.

You may be interested to know that I live less than 2 miles away from where the church was originally located.



In the year 1900, Spiers & Co. of Glasgow supplied the timber and corrugated iron clad 'kit' for the building, at a price of just under £200. In 2008, my house cost over 1,000 times as much!

Highland Folk Museum - 25

Here is another view of the classroom.



The school day in 1937 was as follows:

9.00 - 9.45 Morning Prayers, Registration, Bible Study

9.45 - 10.00 Homework checking

10.00 - 11.00 Arithmetic including Multiplication Tables

11.00 - 11.20 Morning Interval/Playtime

11.20 - 11.30 Multiplication Table and Mental Arithmetic Test

11.30 - 12.30 English Grammar and Composition

12.30 - 1.30 Lunch

1.30 - 1.45 Spelling

1.45 - 2.15 Handwriting

2.15 - 3.15 Geography, History, Art, Music, Nature Study

3.15 - 3.45 Reading

3.45 - 4.00 Setting of Homework etc

4.00 End of School

At some point during the day there would have been a short period of Physical Education (PE) either inside or in the playground.

Those boys and girls who worked really hard at their lessons may have been fortunate enough to go to Inverness College where they would have been privileged to meet the Most Innovative Lecturer in the whole of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Easter Hymn - 4

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.
Refrain:
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting. Refrain

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above. Refrain



Happy Sunday!

Highland Folk Museum - 24

Here we see the teacher's room at the school.



And here is the forty-desk classroom interpreted for 1937.



The classroom includes the original cast iron range used both for heating and domestic science lessons. On display is original school equipment - books, maps, an original Lochgelly tawse (strap) and a card of hardened chewing gum chipped off the desks!

Highland Folk Museum - 23

It's now time for school! Today we are attending Knockbain School.



From Kirkhall parish near Inverness, this single teacher, timber and corrugated iron school was erected beside the existing late 1800s stone school. Known as the 'Green Hut', it comprised a classroom, teacher's room, and toilet.



When we arrive we must hang up our cap and gabardine, and get ready for lessons. We will get the strap (tawse) if we are late.

Highland Folk Museum - 22

Here are some of the sights as one walks down the lane at the Folk Museum...



an old petrol pump...



...and an old post box.



Perhaps we should have a sing-song as we walk along the way!

Highland Folk Museum - 21

You may be wondering what the toilet facilities are like at Daluaine Summerhouse...



...well, now you know!

For those who visit the Museum today, there are more modern toilets available near the reception area. In addition you will find an Audio Visual introduction, a shop, cafe, and a children's play area. And wait for it - admission to the Museum is free!

Highland Folk Museum - 20

Here we have two photos showing the inside of Daluaine Summerhouse. The building was initially rendered in lime plaster. However, soon after it was clad in more weather resistant corrugated iron.



It seems cosy enough for summertime, but I would not like to have to stay in it over the winter months!

Highland Folk Museum - 19

Our next port of call at the Museum is Daluaine Summerhouse.



The summerhouse was built from re-used track sleepers from the Highland Railway that came through the Spey Valley in 1863. First constructed during the early 1900s, this small dwelling is interpreted for the 1950s.



The fireplace with yellow 'Armadale' bricks from the Bathville Brick & Fire Clay brickworks (probably bought by train) is original, as is the blacksmith made pot chain.

Easter Hymn - 3

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say:
hell today is vanquished,
heaven is won today!
Lo! the dead is living,
God for evermore!
Him their true Creator,
all his works adore!

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.

Earth her joy confesses,
clothing her for spring,
all fresh gifts return
with her returning King:
bloom in every meadow,
leaves on every bough,
speak his sorrow ended,
hail his triumph now.

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.

Months in due succession,
days of lengthening light,
hours and passing moments
praise thee in their flight.
Brightness of the morning,
sky and fields and sea,
Vanquisher of darkness,
bring their praise to thee.

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.

Maker and Redeemer,
life and health of all,
thou from heaven beholding
human nature's fall,
of the Father's Godhead
true and only Son,
mankind to deliver,
manhood didst put on.

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.

Thou, of life the Author,
death didst undergo,
tread the path of darkness,
saving strength to show;
come then, true and faithful,
now fulfill thy word,
'tis thine own third morning!
rise, O buried Lord!

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.

Loose the souls long prisoned,
bound with Satan's chain;
all that now is fallen
raise to life again;
show thy face in brightness,
bid the nations see;
bring again our daylight:
day returns with thee!

"Welcome, happy morning!"
age to age shall say.



Happy Sunday!

Highland Folk Museum - 18

Here we see the magnificent 1930s living room in the downstairs of Aultlarie Farmhouse.



The leather suite was first bought in Glasgow during the 1920s for use in Fort William, and the fireplace came from Wick.



There is a wireless - but no television! Some middle class families bought their first television in 1953 in order to watch the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. TV reception in the Highlands was very poor! So, let's sit down on the leather suite and listen to the wireless.

Highland Folk Museum - 17

Here we see Kirk's Store. This small shop is named after the Kirk family who farmed Aultlarie prior to the Museum being developed.



The 'Store', created in one of Aultlarie Farmhouses's ground floor rooms, is intended to represent a type of shop that was once common, i.e. developed in someone's front room to provide additional income for the owner and an essential service for the community.

The shop which is interpreted for the late 1930s features many original artefacts including packaging from a variety of food and domestic items; some ironmongery and a till displaying pounds, shillings, and pence.

See the Bisto Ad - yes, it's time for a sing!



Of course it's OK having Bisto on a Sunday - but it will soon be a mortal sin to consume it on a Friday. Yes, it's time for a sing - not for a sin!

Highland Folk Museum - 16

Here we see Glenlivet Post Office which is located at the side of Aultlarie Farmhouse. The Post Office is very much the centre of everyday community life in the Highlands.



In 1913, Robert Stuart, carpenter and joiner, built Glenlivet Post Office onto his house, having taken on the role of sub-postmaster from the local blacksmith. In 1950, Robert's son Tom took over running the Post Office with his wife Ida. The Post Office moved to new premises in 1996 when they retired.



The complete Post Office was acquired by the Highland Folk Museum in 2000. It has been rebuilt exactly as acquired with fixtures and fittings from the counter to the clock.

Highland Folk Museum - 15

We are now looking at the north end of Aultlarie Farmhouse.



The farmhouse dates from the mid-late 1800s. In the early 1900s it was the principal farm residence except when rented out to tourists. This locally common practice raised income for the farm.

Currently, the upstairs of the building houses the Museum's offices. Outside the farmhouse we see a charabanc which is used to transport less mobile visitors round the extensive site.

Highland Folk Museum - 14

Here we see the ticket office and staff workroom at Aultlarie Halt - no modern computers in evidence here! The Tilley lamps bring back memories of my days in the Scouts.



Here are milk churns from the farm waiting to be loaded onto a train at the halt. Travelling by train in the Highlands in the 1930's gave one a good insight of town and country life.

Highland Folk Museum - 13

Here we see the waiting room at Aultlarie Halt.



I wonder whether anyone waiting for a train was tempted to book tickets for this restaurant and sleeping car excursion to John O' Groats?



Sadly, I was unable to find any information on fares.

Easter Hymn - 2

Refrain:

Hail thee, festival day!
Blest day that art hallowed forever;
day wherein Christ arose,
breaking the kingdom of death.

Lo, the fair beauty of earth,
from the death of the winter arising,
every good gift of the year
now with its Master returns. Refrain

He who was nailed to the Cross
is God and the Ruler of all things;
all things created on earth
worship the Maker of all. Refrain

God of all pity and power,
let thy word be assured to the doubted;
light on the third day returns:
rise, Son of God, from the tomb! Refrain

Ill doth it seem that thy limbs
should linger in lowly dishonor;
ransom and price of the world,
veiled from the vision of men. Refrain

Loosen, O Lord, the enchained,
the spirits imprisoned in darkness;
rescue, recall into life those
who are rushing to death. Refrain

Ill it beseemeth that thou,
by whose hand all things are encompassed,
captive and bound shouldst remain,
deep in the gloom of the rock. Refrain

Rise now, O Lord, from the grave
and cast off the shroud that enwrapped thee;
thou art sufficient for us;
nothing without thee exists. Refrain

Mourning they laid thee to rest,
who art Author of life and creation;
treading the pathway of death,
life thou bestowedst on man. Refrain

Show us thy face once more,
that the ages may joy in thy brightness;
give us the light of day,
darkened on earth at thy death. Refrain

Out of the prison of death
thou art rescuing numberless captives;
freely they tread in the way
whither their Maker has gone. Refrain

Jesus has harrowed hell;
he had led captivity captive;
darkness and chaos and death
flee from the face of the light. Refrain



Happy Sunday!

Highland Folk Museum - 12

Here we see Aultlarie Halt on the main railway line between London King's Cross and Inverness.



This halt is where people, farm goods and produce might have gone north to Inverness or south towards Perth and Edinburgh. Trains still pass the halt several times a day, though they no longer stop here. Newtonmore Station is nowadays located about 2 miles south of the halt.

Here we see a modern train about to pass the halt on its way north towards Inverness.

Highland Folk Museum - 11

Here we see inside The Shepherd's Bothy, which is located close to Aultlarie Farmhouse.



It is constructed from 65 re-used railway sleepers. The building gave shelter to the shepherd during (often snowy) spring lambing. It was also used as accommodation for men helping with the summer sheep sheering. The main living room includes the shepherd's bed, stove, table, chair, tools of his trade and his few requisite personal possessions.

Life was tough in those days!

Highland Folk Museum - 10

Here we see the dining area in the Tin Cottage along with the sleeping area.



It is hardly luxurious by present-day Scottish standards, but let us not forget the millions of people living in Less Developed Countries today for whom this accommodation would seem quite wonderful.

The cottage was used by farm workers, although it probably also served as a 'summer house' for the Grant's (who owned Aultlarie Farm Steading) if they rented the main farmhouse to tourists.

Highland Folk Museum - 9

The main building of the Tin Cottage comprises first a best room or 'parlour' walled with lining boards, second the central living area, and third, a scullery type area.



Our photo above shows the parlour. This room was only used on Sundays and High Days. It seems surprising to many of us today how when people had such small dwellings to live in, one room was kept apart for Sabbath use. I remember my grandparents in Leeds having such a room in the early 1960's - I had to be on my best behaviour when ever I entered the parlour!

Note the china tea service in the dresser, which would only be used on Sundays, and the gramophone player which would only play music on Sundays. What would the residents of the 1930's make of our Sabbath observance - what with supermarkets being opened 24 hours a day!

Highland Folk Museum - 8

Close to the Farm Steading is Aultlarie Tin Cottage.



Erected around the 1890s and interpreted for the 1930s, the cottage is on its original site. Probably built by a local joiner, it is constructed of a timber frame clad in corrugated iron. Here we see the open fire in the central living area.

Highland Folk Museum - 7

Here we see the dairy in the Aultlarie Farm Steading. Although this is no longer a working dairy, it was once used for butter making and cheese making.



Cheesemaking capitalises on the curdling of milk. First, the milk is carefully selected to make sure there are no antibiotics or harmful agents that could affect the process. The milk is then heated and held at a given temperature for a short period to destroy any harmful bacteria (i.e. pasteurisation). Special starter cultures are then added to the warm milk and change a very small amount of the milk sugar into lactic acid. This acidifies the milk at a much faster rate and prepares it for the next stage. Rennet (mainly chymosin) is then added to the milk and within a short time a curd is produced. Pepsin is not normally used in Britain except for certain specialised cheeses. The resultant curd is then cut into small cubes, and heat is applied to start a shrinking process which, with the steady production of lactic acid from the starter cultures, will change it into small rice-sized grains. At a carefully chosen point the curd grains are allowed to fall to the bottom of the cheese vat, the left-over liquid, which consists of water, milk sugar and albumen (now called whey) is drained off and the curd grains allowed to mat together to form large slabs of curd. The slabs are then milled, and salt is added to provide flavour and help preserve the cheese. Later, it is pressed, and subsequently packed in various sized containers for maturing.

Easter Hymn - 1

In this month of May, let us sing an Easter Hymn to Our Lady.



Here is the Latin:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia:
Quia quem meruisti portare. alleluia,
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

and here is an English translation:

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven. Alleluia!
He whom Thou wast meet to bear. Alleluia!
As He promised hath arisen. Alleluia!
Pour for us to God thy prayer. Alleluia!



Happy Sunday!

Highland Folk Museum - 6

Here we see the kitchen inside the Aultlarie Farm Steading.



Do these tasty birds realise that this is not the safest of rooms to venture into?



I wonder what will be cooking in the pot tonight!

Highland Folk Museum - 5

During the inter-war years (1919-1938) motorised vehicles were taking the place of horses on our Highland farms.



Housed in the garage is a World War II 'Standard' Model 'N' tractor of a type first produced in 1929. This particular tractor dates from 1941.



Our friend here faces an uncertain future.

Highland Folk Museum - 4

Here we see the World War II food rationing display inside the larger cattle byre of Aultlarie Farm Steading.



A typical ration for one adult per week was:

Butter: 50g (2oz) Bacon and ham: 100g (4oz) Margarine: 100g (4oz)
Sugar: 225g (8oz). Meat: To the value of 1s.2d (one shilling and sixpence per week. That is about 6p today) Milk: 3 pints (1800ml) occasionally dropping to 2 pints (1200ml). Cheese: 2oz (50g) Eggs: 1 fresh egg a week. Tea: 50g (2oz). Jam: 450g (1lb) every two months. Dried eggs 1 packet every four weeks. Sweets: 350g (12oz) every four weeks.

Highland Folk Museum - 3

Here we see two of the residents of Aultlarie Farm Steading.



About time we had another sing-song, and what could be more Scottish than 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm'?



That was fun!

Highland Folk Museum - 2

Our first port of call is Aultlarie - the Museum's working farm. Here we see the Aultlarie Farm Steading.



Probably dating from the early 1800s, and interpreted for the 1930s, this farm steading is the largest in situ building on the Museum site. Traditional in form for a local small farm it comprises a three horse stable, larger cattle byre (currently housing a World War II food rationing display), a barn with opposing threshing doors, a smaller cattle byre and a dairy.

Highland Folk Museum - 1

Well here we are at the start of our visit to the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore. Please click on the photo for a clearer picture of the plan of the site.



Acquired in the late 1980s, the site is about 80 acres and a mile long. It is bounded on the north by the old A9, the Kingussie to Newtonmore Road and, on the south, by the River Spey. The railway from Inverness to London also passes along the middle of its length.

The Museum had its first main year in 1996 and has continued to develop as an award winning site.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! - 8

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

O sons and daughters, let us sing!
The King of Heaven, the glorious King,
Over death today rose triumphing.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

An angel clad in white they see,
Who sat, and spake unto the three,
“Your Lord doth go to Galilee.”
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

That night th’apostles met in fear;
Amidst them came their Lord most dear,
And said, “My peace be on all here.”
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

When Thomas first the tidings heard,
How they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples’ word.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

“My piercèd side, O Thomas, see;
My hands, My feet, I show to thee;
Not faithless but believing be.”
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

How blessed are they who have not seen,
And yet whose faith has constant been;
For they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

On this most holy day of days
Our hearts and voices, Lord, we raise
To Thee, in jubilee and praise.
Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!



Happy Low Sunday!

Tomorrow we are off to the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore.