Caithness Family History Group visits Castlehill Heritage

There was a good turn out of members of Caithness Family History group for their visit to Castlehill Heritage Centre.

After an introduction by their president Anne Dunnett, a short welcome was given by CHS Chairwoman, Muriel Murray, followed by an explanation of the origins of the building and the activities that take place in it.

The group then viewed the current exhibition "Comings and Goings" which looks at social movements into and out of the area. The garden with its heritage themed beds was an added attraction. Over a cup of tea, served by CHS committee members, the visitors had a chance to chat to each other and exchange reminiscences. As usual, CHS learnt a great deal by the end of the evening.

To view a gallery of photos from the evening, courtesy of Sheila Moir, click here

Castletown WRI display celebrates 90th Anniversary

Castlehill Heritage Centre is currently hosting a small display by Castletown WRI in celebration of its 90th year of continuous operation. Castletown WRI is the second longest formed WRI in the area, being established in April 1919. In those days meetings were held in the Castletown Higher School gymnasium; the annual subscription was two shillings, or sixpence per quarter. Members had to bring their own cup and sugar!!

The display includes a selection of memorabilia and photographs, such as this one from the 70's. Many familiar faces there, albeit some 30 years younger!!

The WRI meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the Drill Hall extension, Main Street, Castletown. New members are most welcome.

Fruits of labour showing in the Heritage Garden

The hard work over the past few months to create the first stage of the heritage themed garden within the courtyard has been rewarded with a fine showing of young shoots. The round feature (see left) contains a variety of traditional garden herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives, mint, sage and rosemary, to name but a few.

The mixed plot (see right) has two plantings of vernacular cereals - the darker one to the left is Black Oats, the lighter rectangle is Bere. In the foreground the curly Kale is doing really well, protected from the attention of itinerant slugs by collars round the stems, fashioned from cardboard by Hugh. Also in this plot are a line of tatties and a few rows of neeps - the latter forming part of the staple diet of Caithness man, sheep and cows alike!

Just finished is an areawhich has been sown with Costal Meadow Mix (see left) , which contains an accredited mix of grasses and wild flowers, all natural to the area. Over the next couple of months it is hoped to complete construction of a central circular feature formed out of Caithness flagstone, and which will provide seating and a focal point for the garden. Adjacent to this will be a large feature flagstone, which is currently being laser engraved with images of local fossils, courtesy of Caithness Stone Industries. Watch this space for further developments - better still, why not come along and see for yourself!

Castlehill Heritage Centre is open from 2-4pm every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, other times by arrangement. Groups most welcome. Contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com for more details.

Wash and Brush Up - talent abounds

Captured in action this evening was the painting class run by Helen Moore every Monday evening over the winter. These classes have proven to be both highly popular and very successful, with several newcomers to the craft discovering hidden depths of talent.

Beginners are especially welcome and receive a free introductory session. Sessions run from 7-9pm on Monday evenings at a cost of £8 per evening plus materials. Juniors and OAPs £5.

Castletown Heritage Society

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Castletown Heritage Society will be held in the Castlehill Heritage Centre on Wednesday, 22 April at 7.30pm.

The guest speaker will be Mike Ledger, Quarryside, who will talk about his research and travels in the pursuit of the story of those local men named on the Castletown War Memorial.

All welcome - refreshments will be provided.

Drystone Dyking Course

Castletown Heritage Society are pleased to announce that it will be holding another of its very popular drystone dyking courses on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August.

Over the course of the two days, multi-talented master craftsman Dave Goulder from Rosehall, Lairg, will coach course delegates in the basic craft skills before leading them on to more advanced techniques.

Dave was born in 1939 of a Derbyshire farming family - a railway footplate man, mountaineer, motorcyclist, classical music enthusiast, Spanish guitar player, Jew's harp virtuoso, songwriter, poet, singer, hedge layer, junk sculptor, naturalist, community arts administrator, drystone walling Master Craftsman/instructor, ceilidh band member, failed mandolin player, and arthritic. For further information on Dave's work visit his superb website.

If you wish to secure a place on this popular workshop, or require further information, drop us a line at castletown.heritage@talk21.com Early booking is recommended.

Castlehill on-line

This weekend was a bit of a landmark at the Castlehill Heritage Centre, when the newly installed internal IT network was commissioned making internet access and networked printing available within the Centre for the first time.

The system includes a fully configured VOIP phone service, which hopefully will be up and running later this week. This will be a huge asset to the Centre as to date we have been relying on mobile phone services which, due to the building having two foot thick stone walls, have been somewhat unreliable.

Castlehill House gates brought back to life

Anyone walking into the Castlehill Heritage Centre during the past few months could not fail to notice the great strides taken by Hugh and the team towards the creation of the heritage garden within the courtyard. New paths and raised beds have appeared and thanks to a generous donation by the Street Lighting department of The Highland Council, the courtyard now boasts a fully functional Victoriana-style lamp column.

This weekend saw a poignant moment however, as a magnificent cast iron gate carrying the Traill family crest and motto in the centre, took pride of place in a purpose made aperture in the east wall of the courtyard.

The gate is one of a pair that once guarded the harbour- side entrance to Castlehill House grounds, and was rescued a couple of years ago by the Society from under a heap of rubbish and debris in the ruins of Castlehill House. After much wire brushing by Muriel and a lick of paint the gate has been restored to something of its former glory, and stands as a reminder of the role of the Traill family in establishing the Flagstone Works at Castlehill.

Rainwater harvesting at Castlehill

It seemed stragely ironic that the weather should turn wet and thoroughly miserable whilst Neil and Hugh were installing the first phase of a rainwater harvesting system at Castlehill Heritage Centre. At least they were able to test that the diverter/filter operated properly and that there were no leaks!

Water from the guttering around the building slate roof is passed through a filter unit (see right) which separates out any debris and diverts clean water into two 750 litre tanks. The water will initially be used to provide water for watering the new heritage garden, currently under construction in the courtyard.

When phase two is complete in a few weeks time, the system will additionally supply all our water needs for toilet and urinal flushing, thereby reducing mains water usage and the impact of the Centre on the environment. A back-up mains water feed will however be installed to cater for those long, hot Caithness summers when it doesn't rain for weeks.....

Knitting Workshop with Deirdre Nelson

This weekend, Castletown Heritage played host to a workshop by internationally renowned needlework artist Deirdre Nelson (pictured left). Over the course of three days, Deirdre inspired an enthusiastic group of craft hobbyists in the art of interpreting aspects of local social history through knitting.

Originally from Ireland but living and working in Glasgow, Deirdre graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1992, and her work has evolved through experimenting with materials and working methods to provide a humourous commentary on social and textile history. Her work employs a variety of techniques and materials fusing traditional textile skills and contemporary reinterpretation. She has exhibited in Britain and overseas and has recently been selected for Jerwood contemporary Makers in London. Deirdre is currently artist in residence at Taigh Chearsabagh Museum and Arts Centre in Lochmaddy N. Uist, Outer Hebrides.

Typical of Deirdre's works on display this weekend was a curiously long sock with small 'memo notes' attached. Deirdre explained that during her time in Uist she learned of a story about about a mother who's son was away working in Edinburgh. As the mother was concerned for his welfare she regularly wrote to him, her news being littered with words of advice and reminders of how to look after himself. Often she would send parcels, including hand knitted clothing. "I could just imagine the mother knitting a sock which got longer and longer as she absent mindedly focused on what her son might be doing and formulating appropriate words of advice, rather than concentrating on the sock... I captured what I thought might be some of those words and attached them along the length of the sock and gave them a contemporary feel by formatting like the header of an email."

As can be seen from the photos below the workshop proved to be a great success, with local themes being developed in the knitted form, such as bottles of Old Pulteney whisky, fish and pebbles, siren fish, boats, jute twine vests and traditional music notes to name but a few.

Thoughts are formulating for another workshop later in the year. If you are interested, drop us a line at castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Photos: Neil Buchan and John Crowden

Astronomy Club meets at Castlehill

On Friday past, Castlehill Heritage Centre was host to the newly formed Caithness Astronomy Group. Master of ceremonies for the evening was Mike Lunan, who kicked things off with a presentation describing the variety of objects that are potentially visible from our northern location. With the cloud breaking after a day of lousy weather the Group moved outside to the courtyard, where all lighting was turned off to optimise viewing - and they weren't disappointed.

Group Chairman Gordon Mackie picks up the story: "We were treated to breathtaking views of the night sky. It's hard to believe what we managed to see, all in the space of a couple of hours. Early on we were treated to views of the crescent Moon and Venus showing a similar crescent phase. Then with the sky darkening the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula and the Milky Way started to become visible. By the end we had seen stars & star clusters galore, galaxies, a planet almost without its familiar rings, a passing comet, an iridium flare and a shooting star or two. Let's hope for more of this at future events!"

The Caithness Astronomy Group has put together a comprehensive programme of events for the coming year, all in support of the International Year of Astronomy. The programme culminates in a Meteor Watch and IYA2009 End of Year Event, back at Castlehill on Sunday 13th December. For further information on the group and its activities, contact Gordon Mackie (Chairman) – gpmackie@hotmail.co.uk or Pat Kieran (Secretary) – pat_kieran@yahoo.com.

Photos: Gordon Mackie

Signage at Castlehill

Finding your way to Castlehill Heritage Centre is now easier than ever thanks to some new signage erected by committee members this weekend.

The smart new signs were supplied by Malcolm Begg at Haster, the grey colour being chosen to blend in with the building stonework.

If coming by car please park in the Heritage Trail car park, directly opposite - there is ample space available. This will help keep the hardcore area in front of the entrance available for blue badge holders or others having access difficulties.

Archaeological Post Excavation Workshop

Following on from the success of last summer 's archaeological training project 'Looking for Vikings', the archaeological post excavation training workshop held last Sunday proved to be very popular indeed. Dr Andy Heald of AOC archaeology coached the eager attendees in the techniques and processes involved in sifting, sorting, recording and analysing finds from archaeological excavations. Very much a 'hands-on' experience!

To register interest in the next workshop please contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Programme of events for 2009

The draft programme of events for 2009 is now available. Many new and exciting events and workshops are also under development - check regularly for latest details.

Craftsmen 'Turn out' for Prize Giving

Members of the North Highland Woodturners Association recently held their annual end of year prize giving where a stunning array of wooden artefacts were on display, reflecting the skills and techniques deployed by this dedicated group. The judge was Mr Body of John o'Groats pottery.

The regular Saturday morning workshop sessions, which take place in the Multipurpose Skills Workshop Area within the Castlehill Heritage Centre, resume in February.

Boxing Day visitors

Our now traditional Boxing Day opening once again proved popular as a steady stream of visitors and some familiar faces visited the Farming and Crofting exhibition and were rewarded with mulled wine, shortbread, cake and a cup of tea or coffee. Daisy Cowe obliged once more, allowing visitors to experience milking a cow 'first hand', although she did insist they warmed their hands first.

The exhibition focuses principally but not exclusively, on the history of agriculture in Olrig parish, from early settlement, pre and post mediaeval, the 18th and 19th century improvements to the 1950s.

The age of the horse, steam and tractor, crops, stock, rents, clearances, living conditions and socialising are all featured, together with associated trades and activities.

Castlehill Heritage Centre will be open as usual over the festive season - why not drop in to explore the Crofting and Farming exhibition - Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays 2-4pm.

Merry Christmas from Castletown Heritage Society

Castletown Heritage extends seasons greetings to all our friends, members visitors and supporters.

Castlehill Heritage Centre will be open as usual over the festive season - why not drop in to explore the Crofting and Farming exhibition - Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays 2-4pm.

Open Boxing Day 2-4pm - Join us for mulled wine and shortbread.

Daisy Cowe meets the 1st Dunnet Bay Cub Scouts at the Castlehill Crofting & Farming Exhibition

Among many recent visitors to Castlehill Heritage Centre was Daisy Cowe, making a nostalgic trip to research her ancestors who had long and close links with the Castletown area. Daisy, who presently works in the tourist industry based at the Animal Centre at the Castle of Mey, was taken by friends to Castlehill. There she occupied the same stall in the former dairy as her great grandmother had done.

Tracing her ancestry to even earlier times, she heard how land owner James Traill had introduced a new dairy herd of Ayrshires to his Castlehill farm in the late 1700s.to improve milk yields. The herd was accompanied by an experienced Ayrshire dairy-maid. Success came quickly and Castlehill cheese was sent south to the Edinburgh market, where it was much in demand as a quality product.

During her visit to Castlehill, Daisy met Cub Scouts from the 1st Dunnet Bay Scout Group. Thanks to Daisy's patience, the youngsters received hands-on experience of milking supervised by Christine Crowden. They also turned their hands to churning butter with the assistance of Neil Buchan, and making hand-made ropes and nets under the watchful eye of Hugh Crowden.

Browsing for information	Akela helps out	Hugh demonstrates making a fishing net	That's the way...
Testing a newly made section of rope	Muriel explains about crofting life	Please Miss, I know the answer!	Having a go at churning butter

The exhibition is open every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday from 2pm - 4pm. Other times and special openings or activity evenings for groups by arrangement.

Looking for Vikings - Sat 6th & Sun 7th December

The second post excavation workshop which was due to be held on Sunday 9th November at Castlehill Heritage Centre from 10 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. has been postponed until early in the new year.

Watch the website for further updates on revised dates.

To reserve a place contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Crofting and Farming Exhibition - Sat 21 November

This weekend Castletown Heritage Society launches its winter exhibition on crofting and farming. Displays focus principally but not exclusively, on the history of agriculture in Olrig parish, from early settlement, pre and post mediaeval, the 18th and 19th century improvements to the 1950s. The age of the horse, steam and tractor, crops, stock, rents, clearances, living conditions and socialising are all featured, together with associated trades and activities.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 21 November and will be open from 2pm - 4pm every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday afternoon over the winter. Other times by appointment.

Flagstone Village - Available to purchase on CD ROM

In 2002, the Society published a comprehensive and highly popular 144-page illustrated book on the history of the village and parish.

Sadly our stock of books is exhausted however the book is now available to purchase in pdf format on CD ROM, priced at £15.

Available now - ideal Christmas gift!

Northern Glow - Biomass heating open day success

Jon Priddy in action

Visitor book feedback

Castletown Heritage Society and Community Energy Scotland held an open day last Saturday, 1st November, demonstrating the new log boiler heating system installed in the Castlehill Heritage Centre. Our state of the art installation burns from the Dunnet Forestry Trust community woodland in a modern log boiler - the heat is stored in a special tank and then used by the underfloor heating and hot water systems in the building as necessary.

The event was opened by CHS Chairwoman Muriel Murray, after which committee member Neil Buchan, gave a detailed presentation on the design, procurement and installation of the system, fielding many questions from a well informed and enthuiastic audience.

After a tour of the system and installation, Jon Priddy, Community Energy Scotland North and East Highland Area Manager, gave further examples of community led renewable energy installations and information on the range of grants and assistance available from CES.

The event concluded with an excellent lunch provided by the St Clair Arms Hotel, Castletown and overall was judged a great success, as evidenced by the very positive comments in the visitors book - see above.

Ancestral Research - Thursday 4th November

Taster presentation on Ancestral research for heritage groups. Full course available to undertake as a winter study opportunity and is free of charge. CHS have got an hour 7-8pm at Thurso College on Thursday 4th December. Any one interested please get in touch in usual way.

Tel: 01847 821204 or castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Looking for Vikings - Sunday 9th November

Following this summer's successful archaeological training project, in conjunction with AOC archaeology, Castletown Heritage can now confirm details of the first post excavation workshop. This will be held on Sunday 9th November at Castlehill Heritage Centre from 10 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. and will be led by Dr Andy Heald. A light lunch will be provided.

A warm welcome back to all those who took part in the summer activities and also to any new budding archaeologists who may like to attend. A second two-day workshop is planned for the weekend of the 5-6 th December.

To book a place contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Wash and Brush Up II - Painting Classes by Helen Moore

Starts Monday 13 October

Returning by popular demand, CHS will be hosting a series of art painting classes in Castlehill Heritage Centre. The tutor for the sessions will once again be local Castletown artist Helen Moore who specialises in oils, acrylics and oil pastels.

Selection of paintings from the sessions held in June - click to enlarge

The sessions will run on Monday evenings, starting on on Monday 13 October. Beginners are especially welcome and will receive a free introductory session. Sessions will run from 7-9pm and cost £8 per evening plus materials. Juniors and OAPs £5.

To book a place contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com or come along on Monday 13 Oct. For further information click here.

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Croft Crafts - Traditional Skills workshop - Sat 4 Oct

Following the success of the event held last year as part of the Highland 2007 Year of Culture Community Programme, Castletown Heritage Society staged a second workshop on Saturday 4th October. On offer were spinning, carding, fleece preparation, crochet, rag rug making and quilting. The workshop was fully subscribed, highlighting the strong local interest in preserving these traditonal skills.

A third workshop will almost certainly be included in next year's line-up of events.

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Never felt better! - Felt scarf workshop - Sat 15 Nov

Break the mould and prepare yourself for that Caithness winter chill with a warm and stylish nuno-felt scarf.

Join local artist and tutor Joanne Kaar for this innovative, practical workshop and learn how to prepare the materials, design and then create your very own scarf, which will be yours to take away.

The workshop will be held in the Castlehill Heritage Centre on Saturday 15 November.

All materials will be provided (at cost - £13) - your imagination comes free!

Numbers will be limited therefore booking is essential - telephone 01847 821204 or email castletown.heritage@talk21.com for more details and to secure your place.

Flotsam & Jetsam - Driftwood Sculpture - art workshop

The next event in the Society's summer programme is the second art workshop by John Macleod of Thurso.

John will demonstrate how to transform innocuous looking pieces of driftwood into stunning examples of creative driftwood sculpture. Workshop participants will be guided through the process as they create their own work of art.

The workshop will be held in the Castlehill Heritage Centre on Sunday 31 August. Materials will be provided.

Booking is essential - 01847 890983 and for more details.

LOOKING FOR VIKINGS! - WEEKEND MEDIEVAL POTTERY WORKSHOP

Pictured in action is George Haggerty, one of UK's leading experts on medieval and post medieval pottery, kicking off the first day of the weekend workshop. A charismatic and entertaining speaker, George kept the band of enthusiastic workshop members spellbound as he explained and demonstrated how to recognise, identify and date pottery and ceramic material from the medieval period onwards.

Did you know that fired clay material can turn out red or grey dependant on the oxygen levels in the oven at the time of firing? Do you know the distinctive features of Aberdeen-shire clay based artefacts that have found their way all round Scotland? If you want to find out more, come along to the public lecture taking place this evening at 7.30 in Castlehill Heritage Centre. Its free and all are welcome!

Castletown Pupils' magnificent mural now on display

Senior pupils from Castletown Primary School recently took part in a Highland-wide initiative called "Salt of the Earth" which seeks to explore in creative and inventive ways the significance of local characters who have made their mark in the new Scottish landscape.

One of only five communities chosen to take part in the initiative, the pupils chose to investigate and showcase the life of William Angus, a journeyman stonecutter from Castletown who emigrated to New York in 1866, and who used the skills learned in Castletown to build mansions on New York's famous Fifth Avenue.

Local artist Joanne B Carr has transformed the pupils' artwork, created during a two day workshop within the Castlehill Heritage Centre, into a magnificent mural which is now proudly on display to the public in the Centre.

The project was funded and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Community Foundation, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and An Talla Solais (Ullapool Visual Arts).

Woodturners turn it on at Castlehill

Members of the North Highland Woodturners Association pictured this morning, hard at work at their craft during one of their Saturday morning workshop sessions, which take place in the Multipurpose Skills Workshop Area within the Castlehill Heritage Cantre.

Castletown Heritage Society are delighted to welcome the NHWA as regular users of the facility, the theme of their activities being entirely in keeping with the aims of the Society in preserving local and vernacular skills.

Flower Power at Castlehill

The hard work put in by local volunteer Irene Wares with help from Hugh, Christine and Muriel earlier in the season has been rewarded by a lovely show of summer blooms in and around the Castletown Heritage Centre grounds.

Most of the plants were sourced from our local Woodside Garden Centre who have been very supportive of the Centre. Why not give them a call - you too could have a show like this!

LOOKING FOR VIKINGS! - WEEKEND WORKSHOP

The Castletown Heritage Norse and Viking Heritage Project continues apace. This weekend’s workshop (Sat 2nd – Sun 3rd Aug, 10am to 16.00pm) is being hosted by the leading expert on Scottish medieval and post-medieval ceramics, George Haggarty.

George is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and sits on the council of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He is also a Research Associate at the National Museums Scotland. He has published almost 90 papers or articles on ceramic material dating from the 12th to 19th centuries and is currently working towards the distribution in the Journal of the Northern Ceramic Society, of two ceramic resource disks, on 17th and 18th century ceramic material recovered from archaeological excavations carried out at kiln sites near Prestonpans, East Lothian. Keeping up his interest in medieval pottery he is also involved with a Historic Scotland funded programme of ICP-MS chemical analysis on medieval and latter Scottish redwares, and the publication of a number of ceramic assemblages from urban sites.

Whilst the overall Castletown community project is tailored to finding Viking and Norse archaeology we also aim to learn about the other material and structural remains of other ancestors who lived and died in the area. This weekend’s workshop investigates the material evidence for individuals who lived and died during the post-Viking period. George is planning an ambitious programme that involves not only lectures but also hands-on teaching from his extensive pottery collections. George will also deliver the Saturday evening lecture (in Castlehill Heritage Centre, 7.30pm).

It really is a coup for Castletown Heritage to get someone of George’s standing and what he doesn’t know about medieval and post-medieval ceramics isn’t worth knowing! He is very enthusiastic about the area and the project, so much so that he will speak about the possibility of creating a more formal fieldwalking project in the future. Whether fieldwalking or excavating, you nearly always encounter med and post med ceramics.

As always the Weekend workshops are free to attend, are open to all and there is no charge for any part of the project. Workshops run from 10am – 4pm and are held at Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility within the Castlehill Heritage Centre, Harbour Road, Castletown. We hope to see you there.

If you would like to take part in the project please contact: Mrs Muriel Murray, Castletown Heritage Society Tel: 01847 821 204 Email castletown.heritage@talk21.com

CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND A LINK TO THE DAILY WEB DIARY

The project has been generously sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, HIE and the European Fund.

LOOKING FOR VIKINGS!

Castletown Heritage Society (CHS) has embarked on a major community project to investigate possible Viking and Norse heritage around Dunnet Bay on the north coast of Caithness.

Central to the project is the involvement and training of the local community. As well as undertaking a six-week field project, the programme will involve public lectures, training days on artefacts, survey, excavation, post-excavation and publications, web diaries and open days.

This ambitious project kicks off at Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility, Harbour Road, Castletown on Saturday 12th July 08.

The programme for the first weekend - Saturday12th and Sunday13th July from 10 am to 4 pm including a public lecture on Saturday at 7.30 - will outline the project and provide an introduction to the archaeology of the area, with a particular focus on the Vikings, and be complemented with a series of artefact recording workshops specific to the project.

Everyone is welcome and there is no charge for any of the project.

If you would like to take part in the project please contact: Mrs Muriel Murray, Castletown Heritage Society Tel: 01847 821 204 Email castletown.heritage@talk21.com

CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND A LINK TO THE DAILY WEB DIARY

The project has been generously sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, HIE and the European Fund.

Towards a sustainable future for Castletown

The Old Parish Church, built in 1840 served the parish until 1929. In order to help build up a picture of public opinion on possible ways forward for the village, the Princes Trust for the Regeneration of the Built Environment has asked Castletown Heritage Society to research the feeling of the community on the future of the old parish church.

If you would like to express an opinion, you can:

• email comments to castletown.heritage@talk21.com,
• call in to the Castlehill Heritage Centre on Saturday 14th June, from 2pm to 4pm or
• send your comments to Castletown Heritage, Castlehill Heritage Centre, Harbour Road, Castletown, KW14 8TG

Wash and Brush Up - Painting Classes for Beginners by Helen Moore

Over the course of the next few weeks CHS will be hosting a series of art painting classes for beginners in Castlehill Heritage Centre. The tutor for the sessions will be local Castletown artist Helen Moore who specialises in oils, acrylics and oil pastels.

The sessions will run for six consecutive Mondays starting with a free introductory session on Monday 9th June. Sessions will run from 7-9pm and cost £8 per evening plus materials.

To book a place contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com or come along to the free taster session on Monday 9th June. For further information click here.

CHS Chairwoman Muriel Murray (right) gets the opening ceremony underway

Dr John Barber of AOC Archeology Group

Local man Jimmy Gunn and Lord Lieutenant of Caithness Anne Dunnett cut the ribbon to officially open the Castlehill Archaeological research Facility

The dry room where detailed analysis and cataloguing of finds will take place

View through the public viewing gallery

Official Opening of

Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility

Paul Humphreys of Caithness Archaeological Trust demonstrates the wet sieving equipment

Wet sieving equipment and settling tanks

From left: Dr John Barber, Muriel Murray, Paul Humphreys, Jimmy Gunn, Lord Lieutenant of Caithness Anne Dunnett

John Barber complements Paul Humphreys on his design of the wet sieving equipment, manufactured locally by Gows of Lybster

Local builder Tony Birdsall (AJ Building Services) and CHS committee member Hugh Crowden (left) enjoy a well earned rest from construction of the facility

Thursday 24 April saw the culmination of two months hard work to construct the Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility within the 'long building' at Castlehill Heritage Centre.

The facility has been created by Castletown Heritage Society and will be leased to AOC Archaeology Group. Working in partnership with Caithness Archaeological Trust, CHS and AOC will use the facility to support the River of Stone Programme of trial digs and excavations due to get underway shortly throughout Caithness.

The opening ceremony was ably performed by Lord Lieutenant of Caithness Anne Dunnett and local Castletown man Jimmy Gunn who used to work on Thurdistoft farm.

During his entertaining speech, the invited guests heard Dr John Barber, Managing Director of AOC Archaeology Group invoke the blessings of God or the benign indifference of the universe on the enterprise at Castletown and associate himself and AOC with Muriel Murray’s earlier acknowledgement of the roles played by funding agencies, Castletown Heritage Society Committee and others in the realisation of the project. The provision of analytical facilities at the Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility forms part of the overall strategy of the River of Stone programme.

Prepared by AOC at the request of Caithness Archaeological Trust, the River of Stone Programme proposes extensive Fieldwork and Excavations throughout the county. By providing fundamental sample, finds and data processing facilities within Caithness the likelihood of attracting leading scholars to undertake Fieldwork in the county is greatly increased. At the same time these facilities allow AOC to provide training and employment for local community members in archaeological methods. In turn access to trained personnel also makes working in the county easier and more attractive for archaeological groups.

AOC in partnership with Castletown Heritage Society and Caithness Archaeological Trust very much welcome the creation of these new facilities at Castlehill, which they see as a beginning of a process rather than the successful culmination of a project, although it is undoubtedly the latter also.

Investment by CASE (now HIE) and EU Funding in the project has been encouraged by AOC’s leasing of the facilities from Castletown Heritage Society for a minimum five year period. From the outset AOC will employ two archaeological technicians at Castlehill supported by a part time manager, all employed locally. As works progress further works opportunities will emerge. AOC is committed to a spend of £250k - £300k over the five year period. During that time further archaeological projects will be undertaken in Caithness, which will multiply the investment many times over. Sample processing from these projects will of course be undertaken at Castlehill.

Next steps include the creation of an IT hub, an archiving facility and field research facilities in Caithness to provide a comprehensive infrastructural base that will allow the execution of the interesting and exciting projects within the River of Stone Programme.

Castletown Heritage Society gratefully acknowledge the support of local contractors A J Building Services, Duncan Gray (electricians), Corrie Group (plumbing), and Gows of Lybster (plant and equipment) in helping us deliver the facility on programme.

Annual General Meeting

The old maxim 'Ne'er shed a cloot ere May is oot' was kicked into touch on Wednesday when the fifty five strong audience were met by a warm and cosy Castlehill Centre, a bit too warm in fact! With the new log boiler based heating system only being commissioned the previous day the heating control system was still in the process of final tweaking - it certainly works well!

Chairwoman Muriel Murray presented a comprehensive resume of the Society's achievements over the past year, which included a full programme of events and workshops as part of the Highland 2007 Year of Culture, completion of the building works for the Castlehill Vernacular Skills Facility and the official opening of the Centre by Lord Maclennan of Rogart in November and more recently, completion of the building works to establish a new Archaeological Research Facility within the 'long building'.

A full programme of events is now in place for 2008, which include dry stone dyking, beginners painting classes, basic fieldwork in archeology, driftwood sculpture, croft crafts and felt scarf manufacture. The major summer exhibition will be on the flagstone industry, with particular emphasis on the impact it had on Castletown and the Parish of Olrig - the birth of the village and the social implications of the rise and fall of the industry.

In presenting the accounts for 2007/08, treasurer John Moar observed that in recent times have grown in complexity due to the extensive capital works undertaken and the management of grant funds from a variety of agencies. John has stepped down as treasurer after many years service to focus on his studies. Also retiring from office was Secretary Fiona Bremner.

Interim Chairman Will Menzies presided over the election of office bearers for 2008 as follows:

Chairwoman: Muriel Murray

Vice Chairwoman: Liz Geddes

Treasurer: John Crowden

Secretary: Anne Smith

Committee: Neil Buchan, Hugh Crowden, Christine Crowden

Due process having been completed, guest speaker Dr John Barber of AOC Archaeology Group gave an informative and at times highly amusing presentation on the planned activities at the newly established Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility and the River of Stone Project. More on this later!

Photos - Left: John Barbour in action - Right: Muriel Murray, John Barber and Catherine Green, both of AOC Archeology Group

The Heat is ON!

Tuesday was an important day, thermally, for the Society when our biomass log boiler and accumulator system was fired into life for the first time. In the space of only five weeks the system has been taken from a bundle of components to a fully functioning state by Society volunteers, all working in their spare time. Peter de la Haye, renewables consultant and supplier of the system components travelled north from Duns to sunny Caithness to carry out a full system inspection and to oversee the commissioning.

Declaring the system fully fit for service and "one of the neatest installations I've ever seen" Peter handed over the completion certificate to Neil Buchan, CHS Technical Project Manager.

The BAXI 50kW log boiler operates in conjunction with a hot water accumulator which has been sized at 3,000 litre such that the boiler will only require to be fired once per day in the depth of winter. This approach will significantly reduce the operational burden on the volunteer staff manning the centre. Hot water for the underfloor heating system is drawn directly from the accumulator through a temperature balancing system. The domestic hot water is heated indirectly via a heat exchange coil within the accumulator.

The system has also been designed to accommodate future addition of other renewable energy sources, which will be developed as funds become available. Such potential sources may include solar water heating, a ground source heat pump and ultimately, a micro wind turbine.

Consistent with our aim to support our local community, logs for the system are being sourced from the Dunnet Forestry Trust.

The installation was made possible thanks to the award of a grant under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI), managed by the North Highlands branch of the Highlands & Islands Community Energy Company, and match funding from the Highland Council Landward Caithness Ward 4 Discretionary Budget.

Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility

Exciting news! We are delighted to announce that the Opening of the new Castlehill Archaeological Research Facility by Miss Anne Dunnett, Lord Lieutenant of the County will take place on Thursday 24th April 2008.

The frenzy of building activity over the past few weeks is almost complete and will see a new, community-owned archaeological research facility operational within within the 'long' Castlehill building. Codenamed 'Phase 2 devlopment', the project has been undertaken by Castletown Heritage Society with financial assistance from HIE (Caithness and Sutherland) and the European Fund. The facility has been designed to process materials from excavations and its creation forms part of the River of Stone Programme, promoted by the Caithness Archaeological Trust (CAT).

This will be a collaborative venture with a commercial archaeological company, AOC Archaeology Group, assuring the viability of the project. Local community members will receive training in archaeological work and the processing of material from other excavations undertaken in Caithness, both those from within the River of Stone Programme and independent of it. Two full-time and one part-time job for local graduates will be created by AOC at the site and they will work on materials from sites excavated throughout the United Kingdom.

The Castletown site will be linked to AOC's computer network and all information will be shared in real-time. The processing to be undertaken at Castletown comprises the wet sieving and sorting of archaeological soil samples, the documentation of the results and the dispatch of materials for expert analysis, mainly at British Universities and Museums. Some routine laboratory analyses will be added to the workload following training of the staff. Processing will begin with the soil samples from the programme of broch excavation along Sinclair Bay, undertaken by the National Museum of Scotland, Nottingham University and AOC Archaeology Group.

Very shortly, CHS will also be announcing receipt of funding for a significant project on the Dunnet Bay area, also part of the River of Stone programme and of course materials from this site will also be processed at the new facility. In time, materials from many more sites will follow.

The building works have also included the creation of a new multi-purpose activity room and a large store for the extensive collection of artefacts of which Castletown Heritage is custodian.

Photos to follow after the grand opening!

Annual General Meeting

Followed by a talk

"Looking for Vikings"

by Dr John Barber, AOC Archaeology.

First public viewing of new Castlehill Archaeology Research Laboratory. Refreshments provided.

Wednesday 23rd April 2008, 7.30pm

Castlehill Heritage Centre, Harbour Road, Castletown.

Programme of events for 2008

The provisional programme of events for 2008 is now available - click here for further details.

Building on the success of last year's programme, Castletown Heritage Society will once again run a series of hands-on vernacular skills workshops, kicking off with our ever popular dry stone dying course in May.

The Society will also run a series of themed exhibitions throughout the season, the first of which appropriately enough will be an exhibition opening in May on the Flagstone Industry and it's impact on the people and the built environment of Castletown and the Parish of Olrig.

For further details of the events and confirmed dates, email: castletown.heritage@talk21.com or phone 01847 821 204. Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

What's going on here then?

Anyone passing by Castlehill Heritage Centre over the past few weeks is likely to have noticed a frenzy of building activity taking place in and around the Long Building. The Phase 2 development is rapidly approaching completion - but what is it all about? Come along to the AGM on Wednesday 23rd April and all will be revealed!

Biomass Heating System progress

The installation of the biomass log boiler and associated hot water accumulator is now well advanced, with all the plumbing associated with the underfloor heating system and the domestic hot water system completed. The boiler to accumulator feed circuit is also completed as far as it can be at this stage, pending final positioning of the boiler (right) which awaits delivery and installation of the flue components, anticipated later this week.

The system is being installed by Society volunteers and subject to component delivery it is hoped to have the system commissioned ahead of schedule and in time for the AGM on 23rd April.

Castletown and the Sea exhibition closes after successful run

This week-end marked the end of a very successful winter exhibition mounted by Castletown Heritage Society at our recently re-furbished premises at Castlehill. The building will now close for a few weeks to allow building work to be completed. Separate areas will be created for heritage collection storage, traditional crafts and an exciting new archaeological project, details of which will be announced shortly.

As predicted by the society, the exhibition featuring Castletown's maritime heritage created a great amount of new material and information. With the help of our web-site contacts have been made across the globe with descendants of local 19th century sea-farers, mentioned in the displays. Great interest was expressed by a specialist in ships' carvings in the figure-head of the " Flower of Olrig", and new information has been collected on sail-making and on the internal workings of lighthouses.

Perhaps the most astonishing story to be discovered, was that of "Forby" Sutherland, a native of Olrig, who was recruited by Captain James Cook, to join his South Seas expedition in 1766. Unfortunately Forby died of T.B in 1770, and was buried at Botany Bay, apparently the first white man to be buried on the east coast of Australia. CHS are currently researching the story of this son of Olrig parish.

The CHS policy to remain open to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons throughout the winter has proved to be both prudent and rewarding. Visitors to the winter exhibition have included locals, holiday-makers, surfers, Guides and the Dunnet Bay Beavers, whose visit featured a quiz along with Viking and pirate activities. All visitors recorded positive and encouraging comments.

Watch this space for details of the forthcoming programme of events and exhibitions for 2008.

Things are starting to hot up at Castlehill Heritage Centre

Following a successful application to the North Highlands branch of the Highlands & Islands Community Energy Company, Castletown Heritage Society has been awarded a grant under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) to support the installation of a biomass log boiler system to supply the underfloor heating and domestic hot water needs within Castlehill Heritage Centre. We are also delighted to have been awarded match funding for the above grant from the Highland Council Landward Caithness Ward 4 Discretionary Budget.

Construction of a new plant room to house the boiler, accumulator and associated equipment is now well underway and last week saw the delivery of the 3000 litre accumulator vessel and the log boiler itself. There were a few anxious moments when negotiating the accumulator through the arched access door at the end of the building, however the careful advance measurements proved to be correct and the vessel was coaxed in with literally an inch to spare!

The boiler will operate in conjunction with the hot water accumulator which has been sized at 3,000 litre such that the boiler will only require to be fired once per day in the depth of winter. This approach will significantly reduce the operational burden on the volunteer staff manning the centre. Hot water for the underfloor heating system is drawn directly from the accumulator through a temperature balancing system. The domestic hot water is heated indirectly via a heat exchange coil within the accumulator.

The proposed system has also been designed to accommodate future addition of other renewable energy sources, which will be developed as funds become available. Such potential sources may include solar water heating, a ground source heat pump and ultimately, a micro wind turbine.

Consistent with our aim to support our local community, logs for the system will be sourced from the Dunnet Forestry Trust.

To minimise expenditure, the system is being installed by skilled Society members and on completion will be inspected, commissioned and certified by registered biomass consultant and system supplier Peter de la Haye Engineering, thereby ensuring the appropriate technical, installation and system performance standards are met. It is hoped to have the system fully operational around the end of May.

For further information on the proposed development of renewable energy at the Castlehill Heritage Centre click here.

Cannon ball found in West Murkle Garden

The cannon ball on the left was found in a west Murkle garden. It weighs in at an impressive 22lbs (~10 kg) and is about 4 inches (100mm) in diameter. Local historian George Watson believes it came either from one of Cromwell's frigates in 1654 or from John Gow's pirate ship in 1724. The smaller ball on the right is about 2 inches in diameter. Both are remarkably well preserved and are on display as part of the Castletown at Sea exhibition currently running at the Castlehill Heritage Centre (weekends 1-3pm).

If anyone can shed any further light on the nature or history of these artefacts, please get in touch.

Committee Christmas Dinner

Yesterday evening the Castletown Heritage Society committee members and their partners took a well earned break from their duties and efforts with a Christmas dinner at the St Clair Arms Hotel in Castletown.

After a first class meal courtesy of Andrew Mackay and his team we were entertained by John Innes and his karaoke extravaganza. Whilst we perhaps might have chosen to sit other than directly in front of the PA system, we had a ring-side seat to watch the star performers, first prize for which must go to a group of teachers from Thurso High School. Also in atttendance were the committee and helpers from Castletown Play Group. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

Sair heids aside it was back to business today with the Castlehill Centre open from 1pm to 3pm every Saturday and Sunday over the winter season. The current main feature is an exhibition exploring the fascinating relationship between Castletown and the Parish of Olrig and the sea. We will be open on Boxing Day if you are out and about walking off the excesses of Christmas Day!

Figurehead from the schooner 'Flower of Olrig'

The long held aspirations of Castletown Heritage Society to create a multi-purpose exhibition and vernacular skills centre were finally realised today when Lord Maclennan of Rogart performed the official Opening Ceremony at the Castlehill Heritage Centre.

A large audience of invited guests and visitors turned out to hear Chairwoman Muriel Murray explain how the Centre had been developed through the hard work and dedication of Society members, friends and supporters, including a number of local contractors and suppliers. She also thanked the various organisations who lent financial support, either directly (Highland 2007 Community Fund and Lottery Fund Awards for All) or in kind (UKAEA Dounreay, Invisible Heating Systems and Caithness Stone Industries) through the generous donation of materials.

In his speech, Lord Maclennan paid tribute to the vision and dedication of the Society, whose drive and enthusiasm had been recognised as a leading inspiration for the North Highland Initiative.

A key feature of the opening ceremony was the launch of Castletown and the Sea - an exhibition exploring the fascinating relationship between Castletown and the Parish of Olrig and the sea - the Viking landings, the export of Flagstone from Castlehill Harbour to as far afield as Argentina, India and Australia, local heroes of the high seas, fishing, the many ships that foundered in the area, wartime events and more.

In declaring the centre open Lord Maclennan reflected that the content of the exhibition demonstrated the adaptabilty and resourcefulness of the local population throughout history to the present day.

The exhibition and Heritage Centre will be open from 1pm to 3pm every Saturday and Sunday over the winter and other times by arrangement.

Chairwoman Muriel Murray

Lord Maclennan of Rogart

The Centre is officially declared open!

A steady stream of visitors arrived throughout the afternoon

Products from Joanne Karr's workshop on paper making

Open Day and display of results from the Vernacular Skills Workshops.

Sat 27 October 2007

In stark contrast to the damp and dreich weather, a warm welcome awaited everyone who came along to the Open Day on Saturday 27th October.

On display were examples of what was achieved during the vernacular skills workshops held as part of the Highland 2007 Year of Culture Community Programme. Many of the workshop tutors were on hand to explain the techniques and skills used including Joanne Karr, Nona Mackay and the ladies of Murkle Rural, and Ann Johnston, whose sessions on spinning and carding were very popular.

Visitors were also able to view the latest progress in developing the Castlehill Heritage Centre, including the access arrangements through the garden courtyard.

Click here for a full report on each of the skills workshops, or click on the Highland 2007 tab above.

Treadle powered wood working lathe and samples of work by local craftsman Alan Jones.

The access path through the garden is now all but complete - well done Hugh and Muriel!

Chairwoman Muriel Murray describes the layout of the water channel which runs to the south of Castlehill House grounds and which fed the flagstone works and the farm mill via a diverter sluice. The mill channel runs through the Heritage Centre grounds.

The site of the main stone cutting machines and overshot water wheel

John Crowden describes the linear layout of the stone cutting machines. The two dam discharge pipes that powered the overshot wheel can be seen in the background

The interlocking structure of the drainage channel from the flagstone works has stood the test of time and the ravages of the Pentland Firth

Castletown Heritage contributes to Highland Archaeology Fortnight 07 October 2007

One of the tourist attractions available to visitors to the French capital is a visit to " les Egouts de Paris" commonly billed as the "Sewers of Paris". The trip takes tourists down the many underground channels under the streets. These contain not the effluent of the city but the pipes and cables carrying power and communications, electricity ,gas, water, telephone and television services.

A similar experience awaited those intrepid walkers who joined Castletown Heritage on a tour of the network of underground water channels which were constructed in the early 19th century to bring water power to the village water mills and flagstone works.

The natural supplies from Ruther Myre and the Loch of Durran were harnessed by means of dams, sluices and mill lades. The construction of these channels is of remarkable standard, using the local stone in horizontal and vertical settings. In places the underground water ways are high enough to walk through.

Sadly many of the channels and underground works are now overgrown and damaged but the quality, ingenuity and extent of the engineered structures can be readily appreciated.

Contributing greatly to the enjoyment of the afternoon's explorations was the presence of local historian George Watson and archaeologist Paul Humphreys, who brought their combined historical and engineering knowledge into play.

The day was judged to have been stimulating, raising more questions and areas for investigation than answers and easy explanations.

Underfloor heating pipes in place, ready for cement grout pour

Neil in action fixing the pipework. The reflective boiler suit is handy in the dark evenings....

James Henderson in action skimming the top soil

"That's a grand machine that" - "Aye" - "You're no far wrong"

When finished, the cleared area will be the disabled car park

Hugh directs Gordon as he pours clean metal into the drain trench

Gordon gets to grips with the tracked excavator

James shows how it should be done

Recycled demolition rubble being used to raise the finished level in the courtyard

Still some way to go, but the courtyard is starting to take shape

Mystery Object unveiled

Visitors on the Doors Open Day were challenged to identify a mystery object, seen here atop a wash tub. Therein lies the answer for we can reveal that the device was the agitator for the fore-runner of the modern washing machine. Rotating the handle activates an ingenious mechanism which produces an oscillating (self reversing) motion on a pair of paddles attached to the central shaft and immersed within the washing.

Well done to all who took part in the challenge, although no-one managed to guess correctly!

Doors Open Day - Saturday 8 September

A pleasing number of interested visitors took advantage of Doors Open Day to call in to Castlehill Heritage Centre. On display were reminders of some of the traditional skills common in the village in bygone days, side by side with examples of work done during the summer traditional skills workshops run by CHS.

We were delighted to welcome both local people and visitors from further afield such as Ross-shire and Sutherland. Prize for the most distant visitors goes to Canadian Marilyn Mowat and her sister from Mission, British Columbia. For Marilyn it was a nostalgic voyage of discovery as her great great grandfather had lived in Castletown. George Mowat, a shoemaker married the girl next door Jane Sutherland in the Free Church, Thurso in the mid 1800s. Most of the family eventually emigrated but David and William stayed. Robert Mowat farmed West Mey and his daughter married Alec Nicolson. If these names seem familiar to you get in touch with CHS and we will pass on the info to Marilyn. castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Good news for aspiring Drystone Dykers

For anyone who missed or was unable to attend one of our series of Drystone Dyking training courses and can't wait until our next course next year, fear not! Dave Goulder, master craftsman, will shortly be holding a two day training course based in Dunbeath. For further details contact Augusta Hutt by email on ahutt@freeuk.com.

Castletown Drill Hall was the location of the launch by HRH the Prince of Wales of an important initiative which is sure to have a positive effect on the future of the village.

The North Highland Initiative has already had success both in raising the profile of local produce through the Mey Selections brand name and in working to realise the potential of long-term tourism growth in the north. Now a Built Environment Advisory Group has been established to explore the under-developed potential of the built heritage in the far north.

Representatives from Castletown Heritage joined a range of residents, business people, farmers, planners and others with an interest in Castletown, first at a Scoping Meeting and later at a 3- day Enquiry by Design workshop. Using their inside knowledge of the village CHS members were able to guide the others round the many interesting buildings and tell them the story of Castletown's past.

Prior to formally launching the new venture HRH Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothesay, joined the groups who were working on various aspects of possible plans and lay-outs for a sustainable future for the village. Click here for a link to the Prince's speech.

The North Highland Initiative hopes that "the radical approach being taken at Castletown to forge a long-term plan for regeneration will become a model for the entire region and beyond."

Two evening public meetings were well attended and the follow-up report on progress is awaited in September or early October.

Click on these links for further information on:

The Prince's Foundation For The Built Environment

The Prince's Regeneration Trust

Muriel Murray and Liz Geddes at the Scoping Meeting, exploring potential opportunities for the regeneration of Castletown

Photograph courtesy of The Prince's Foundation

New access path leading down the courtyard to what will be the main access door to exhibition area (visible above in the corner just beyond the drystone wall partitioning the patio area)

Progress at Castlehill Centre - 19 August 2007

When snatches of decent weather allow, Hugh and his team have been busy creating the access path that will ultimately lead visitors from a new gate to be created in the south wall of the courtyard (next to the 'Flower of Olrig' feature) through the heritage garden area to the main entrance of the Vernacular Skills facility and exhibition space.

Hugh has also been busy constructing the final part of the first phase of the conversion works - the creation of an atmospherically controlled archive store for the extensive collection of artefacts owned by Castletown Heritage Society. In common with the other areas in the Centre, the Archive Store will feature an underfloor heating system designed and supplied by Invisible Heating Systems of Ullapool.

Construction underway of insulated, fireproof walls in Archive Store

This week's mystery photo

Castletown Heritage is deeply indebted to Sena Leitch and the family of the late Sinclair Gunn of Castletown in allowing the Society to take custody of the artefacts accumulated by Sinclair Gunn during his lifetime, such that the people of the village and others may benefit from seeing what is truly an eclectic collection - everything from matchboxes to mangles!

Among the many diverse items discovered in various sheds and cupboards were boxes of glass negatives that offer an intriguing glimpse into life in Castletown almost 90 years ago. It was a privilege to be offered Sinclair's collection, but a particular one to be party to the photographs, which after all allow us to share intimate family moments.

In 2005 we published a selection of the photographs as a calendar and whilst we were able to trace the background to most of the images, this one has left us puzzled.

Can you help us identify the location or the story behind the photograph? If so, we would be delighted to hear from you.

If you can help, please contact us at: castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Flagstone Village Book

Now available on CD ROM

Our comprehensive and highly popular 144 page illustrated book (ISBN 0-9542738-0-X) on the history of the village and parish is now available to purchase on CD ROM, priced at £15 plus post & packing.

To order your copy please contact: castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 25 April 07

Feedback was very positive from the large crowd of attendees at the Castletown Heritage Annual General Meeting which was held in the newly opened Castlehill Heritage Centre. In presenting her annual report Chairwoman Muriel Murray reflected on what had been achieved through the hard work and dedication of members and their families. Whilst some minor finishing is still to be completed, the Vernacular Skills centre is now fully operational and had hosted the very successful Rope, Basket and Paper Making workshop over the previous week. Future plans already under consideration include developing a further part of the building in conjunction with the River of Stone archeological project.

The eclectic collection of artefacts gathered by the Society over the years will now be progressively transferred to the building, catalogued and put on display in a series of themed exhibitions, the first of which will be held later in the year on the theme Castletown and the Sea.

The guest speaker for the evening was Nan Bethune of Dunbeath Preservation Trust who delivered a fascinating insight into Caithness place names with Pictish derivations.

The following office bearers were duly elected to serve for the 07/08 session:

Chairwoman: Muriel Murray

Vice Chair: Elizabeth Geddes

Secretary: Fiona Wares

Treasurer: John Moar

Committee: Neil Buchan, Christine Crowden, Hugh Crowden, Anne Smith, Agnes Swanson

Muriel Murray discussing recent acquisitions with Gordon Calder

Nan Bethune in action

AGM photos courtesy of Sheila Moir

South end of Vernacular Skills area approaching completion.

Now where does this bit go?

David Swanson installing handrails on the disabled access ramp

Castlehill update - 17 Apr 07

Last minute preparations and finishing works are in hand to have the Vernicular Skills Facility within Castlehill Heritage Centre operational by Thursday 19th April in time for the first of a series of workshops organised as part of the Highland 2007 Community Programme.

The flagstone floor is complete bar some grouting, access and fire doors now installed and operational, fire alarm system installed and commissioning underway, plumbing works approaching completion, disabled access ramps completed and general finishing in hand. The list of minor snagging identified during the building works control inspection earlier this week is all but complete and subject to a satisfactory drains test on Wednesday 18th it should be all systems go for Thursday opening.

Whilst the vast majority of the work has been done by our willing band of volunteers we have been very grateful for the last minute support of Barnies Electrical, O'Brien Construction and Corrie Plumbing for their assistance in ensuring the opening deadline will be met.

New main access fire doors and disabled access ramp

John Moar commissioning the fire alarm system

Disabled toliet complete and ready for finishing

Muriel presenting John with a farewell gift from the Society

(Sorry about the poor quality of the photograph - that reflective jacket really confused the camera!)

Aberdeen 1 Castletown 0 - 29 March 07

Aberdeen's gain is very much Castletown's loss as John Crowden, Secretary and long time stalwart of Castletown Heritage Society handed in his resignation at the committee meeting on Thursday 29 March. John is heading off to a new job in the Silver City and to mark the occasion Muriel Murray, Chairwoman, presented John with a farewell gift and card.

John has been an active member of the Society from its earliest days and has been involved in most things the Society has done over the years, from establishing the Heritage Trail and production of various publications to the recent building works at Castlehill. Whatever needed to be done John could be counted on to wield a spade, screw driver, hammer, pen or whatever was required to tackle the job in hand.

We wish him well in his new job in Aberdeen.

Installation of the underfloor heating pipework and flagstone progresses in a phased manner

Flagstone floor underway - 27 March 07

With the lining out and painting of vernacular skills centre all but complete, work has started to lay a genuine Caithness flagstone floor which will be a distinctive and highly appropriate feature of the finished facility. Prior to laying the stone, high efficiency floor insulation slabs were laid and the underfloor heating pipework clipped to the top surface. This is an interesting task in itself due to the pipe having at times a mind of its own!

The materials for the underfloor heating system were sourced from Invisible Heating Systems in Ullapool who were not only very competitive, but have been extremely helpful in designing the system and providing installation advice.

The flagstone, which again has been sourced locally - from Caithness Stone Industries - is nominally 25mm thick and has been supplied cut to a size appropriate to ensure compliance with the HSE Manual Handling Regulations. Approximately one quarter of the floor area has now been laid thanks to Hugh's sterling work and already it is starting to look really impressive!

Knit one, purl one anyone?

Clearing the collapsed channel

Gordon gets well stuck in

Drains come to life at Castlehill - 18 March 07

The good weather in March has enabled outside work to progress at Castlehill. To the north of the building the soil drain biodigester has been coupled up, ready for connection of the control system.

To the south of the building the approach area has been cleared, new hardcore laid and the construction of a wheelchair access ramp built out of reclaimed Caithness flagstone is underway, ready for the first events in April.

To the south and east, existing eighteenth century building drains have been refurbished to improve drainage in front of the main entrance door and within the courtyard area. The drains, which were found to be channelled out of the solid rock in some areas were in the form of a box channel constructed out of flagstone and in most areas were still draining freely, but a section in the centre of the courtyard had collapsed at some time in the past, resulting in the water draining from the approach area backing up and seeping into the courtyard. This has now been remedied with new drainage pipe installed with the assistance and expert guidance of James Henderson. The difference in the courtyard is noticeable already!

Castlehill Harbour winter scene

Salmon nets at Castlehill

Carters loading flagstone at Castlehill early twentieth century

Help us chart Castletown's nautical history

We have just embarked on an exciting new project to explore the fascinating relationship between Castletown and the Parish of Olrig and the sea (apart that is from the stunning views over Dunnet Bay) - the Viking landings, the export of Flagstone from Castlehill Harbour to as far afield as Argentina, India and Australia, local heroes of the high seas, fishing, the many ships that foundered in the area, and there's more....we know there is! Did Cromwell's warships land here? Did the Armada pass by?

We would be delighted to hear from anyone who can help us capture and preserve Castletown's nautical history, the results of which we hope to present as a themed exhibition later in the year.

Perhaps you have some artefacts related to the sea or a relative past or present from the area who was a sailor, built or repaired boats, salvaged wrecks, fished, emigrated from the area or served in the maritime forces during wars or other military campaigns.

Any information, be it fact or folklore would be most welcome. Contact us at: castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Progress at Castlehill Heritage Centre - 4 March 07

As our Chairwoman Muriel Murray observed this morning, one can not help but be impressed with progress over the past few weeks in the main exhibition and skills workshop area. The framing round the walls and ceiling has been completed with high thermal efficiency insulation between the studs, lighting and emergency lighting is in place and operational. Wiring for power and the computer network has been laid in and the task of lining out with plasterboard, taping and filling is well advanced. Elsewhere in the building painting and finishing is underway in the office and the toilets.

The next major step is to lay the floor insulation, instal the underfloor heating pipework then lay the new Caithness Flagstone floor, which will be a feature in itself. When the floor is in place, work can start on installing some modest kitchen facilities at the north end of the area.

The end objective is to have the facility ready in early April for the first of the series of courses and workshops that will be held as part of Highland 2007:

Rope, basket, and paper making workshop. Thursday 19th, Friday 20th April and Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th April 2007.

For further information on this and other courses, workshops and activities planned during 2007 please contact: castletown.heritage@talk21.com

Muriel and Hugh hard at it

Plasterboarding well advanced

Starting to look really good!

Sinclairs of Coulag

From the other side of the world in New Zealand we have recently received information on the Sinclair family, who used to farm at the Coulag, Castletown in the 1800's. Some of the sons emigrated to New Zealand in the mid 1800's and started farming at Cheviot, South Island. The family later paid for the erection of a headstone on their mother's and father's grave in Olrig Cemetry. Earlier this year Doug Archibald, the great-great-great-grandson of John Sinclair, farmer of the Coulag, visited the grave of his ancester who died on 29th July 1870 aged 70 years. Having spoken to a committee member of Castletown Heritage Society he later sent us a copy of the history of the Sinclairs in new Zealand which mentions their roots in Caithness.

Work forges ahead at the Castlehill Heritage Centre

Work to create a sustainable venue within the Castlehill Heritage Centre for the development and delivery of events and training workshops featuring local and vernacular skills has started in earnest thanks to the voluntary skills and expertise of a dedicated band of committee members and supporters. A full security system has now been installed and the main training area and exhibition space is starting to take shape.

If you live locally, have construction/DIY skills to offer and can spare a few hours to lend a hand your support would be very welcome. Contact castletown.heritage@talk21.com

RAF Castletown Walk.

As part of Scottish Archeology month and Highland Archeology Fortnight, Castletown Heritage Society organised a walk around RAF Castletown. Known locally as Thurdistoft, the walk was led by Andrew Gutteridge who has an amazing knowledge of Caithness and the Second World War. The walk took us from the support areas such as the parachute packing shed and transport workshops to the ammunition stores, fuel stores and decontamination building where servicemen would be decontaminated after a gas attack. We then moved on to the airfield proper and visited the sites of the airplane stances, runways and the maintenance hangers before finishing at the firing ranges, where the aim of aircraft gins was checked prior to being declared fully operational.

During the early war years the airfield was a rather bleak site with grass runways and tents as accommodation, but as the years passed more modern facilities and comforts were introduced.

You can read a full account of the history of RAF Castletown in our booklet 'Castletown Recalls 1939-1945'.

Kirkular Tour

In support of the Highland Archeology Fortnight, Castletown Heritage Society organised a 'Kirkular Tour' of the ecclesiastical sites of Olrig Parish, exploring the fascinating history of Christian worship from Pictish times to the modern day.

An informative booklet is available from Castletown Heritage Society for £4.00 + postage and packing.

Quiz Night & Stovies Evening

On Friday 28th April 2006, Castletown Heritage Society held a fund raising Quiz and Stovies Night in the Drill Hall, Castletown. Sandy McWhirter, Socio-Economic Development Manager, UKAEA, Dounreay acted as compere for the evening, keeping everyone entertained while he put eight teams through their paces on subjects as diverse as Sport, Geography, Entertainment, Words & Language, Local History and General Knowledge. In what proved to be a closely fought but thoroughly enjoyable evening, the local team from the Highlander Cafe just managed to scrape victory by half a point over the 'Tattie Howkers' from Thurso. Each member of the winning team received a unique trophy - a replica ceramic model of the Wind Pump tower at Castlehill mounted on a flagstone base. The highly detailed and original trophies were hand made by Mrs Elizabeth Moar and her son John.

The winning Highlander Cafe team.

From the left:

Carol Scorer, Helen Sutherland, Elsa Swanson, Andrew Campbell, Sandy McWhirter.

Castletown Showcase

In January 2006 Castletown Heritage Society supported the Castletown Community Council's Castletown Showcase day held in the Drill Hall. The well attended event provided the opportunity for all the local community based organisations to 'showcase' their aims, objectives and achievements. On display at the Castletown Heritage zone were a range of local artefacts, photographs and details of the proposed Castlehill Heritage Centre.

The Castletown Heritage display.