National Museum of Rural Life
The National Museum of Rural Life is an agricultural and rural life museum in Scotland. Together with the Royal Museum , the Museum of Scotland , the National War Museum , the National Museum of Costume and the National Museum of Flight, it is one of the national museums in Scotland and is operated by National Museums Scotland . The museum is located on Wester Kittochside Farm , which is between East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire and Carmunnock near Glasgow . The museum was called the Museum of Scottish Country Life until 2006 .
founding
The museum opened in 2001, costs amounted to nine million pounds . It was funded by the National Museums in Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland , the National Lottery , the European Fund for National Development , the South Lanarkshire Council , the Scottish Natural Heritage and private donations. The National Museum of Rural Life includes 4600 m² of museum space, the Georgian buildings of Wester Kittochside Farm and 24 hectares of species-rich outdoor area.
Kittochside
The 69 hectare farm was donated to the National Trust for Scotland in 1992 by Margaret Reid. The Reid family had been managing the property since 1567. The house was built between 1782 and 1784 and expanded in 1906. In the 1920s the house was connected to electricity. The furnishings correspond to the state from the 1950s. The northern part of the building is built on the foundations of an earlier house, probably a 17th century nave .
The small cowshed was expanded and re-covered in the middle of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The barn has a threshing floor that was threshed by hand. In 1860 a threshing mill was installed.
On the farm there is a functional horse peg that has been uncovered and restored. Between 1820 and 1840 the horse peg was used for threshing.
The exhibition
The exhibition building was built from 1998 to 2001 on newly purchased land. The design of the building is similar to that of a barn: large sliding doors, wood-clad walls. The exhibition is dedicated to agriculture, agricultural implements and rural life over the past centuries. Many of the exhibits originally come from the existing Scottish Agricultural Museum in Ingliston , others were purchased or donated. In addition, folk art shown, including a jewelry collection.
In addition to agricultural implements, the museum also displays clothing, toys, musical instruments and household appliances. The machines on display include a bar mower by Patrick Bell (1799–1869), the oldest surviving European iron plow , invented by James Small (1730–1793), and the largest collection of combine harvesters in Europe, which can be viewed on request. The permanent exhibition also includes the oldest preserved threshing mill in the world.
In addition to the exhibition, the museum offers the opportunity to take the tractor to the pastures and see a herd of Ayrshire cattle , Clydesdale horses and a herd of sheep.
In addition, various workshops on agriculture are offered every year. In addition to hikes across the farm, the museum also offers shepherd dog competitions, horse and tractor shows.
Below the exhibition building is a small valley (Kittochglen) through which the Kittoch water flows, which used to power the grain mill on the bank. The mill building and the weir can be visited.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Entry on the museum on the East Kilbride homepage , accessed April 22, 2009.
Coordinates: 55 ° 46 '31.4 " N , 4 ° 13' 16.8" W.