PROGRAMME OF EVENTS HELD IN 2009
All
events took place in Castlehill Heritage Centre unless otherwise stated
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Wednesday, Saturday
and Sunday afternoons
2 to 4pm
Other
times by appointment Groups
welcome
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Winter
Exhibition - Castletown 100 Years Ago
 From
the social scene to the introduction of new technology, the exhibition
offers a fascinating insight into village life in Castletown at the turn
of the century.
Castlehill Heritage
Centre, Harbour Road, Castletown, nr Thurso
For further information
contact
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Mondays
7 - 9pm
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Wash and Brush
Up II - Painting classes with Helen Moore
 Beginners
were especially welcome. Sessions over the winter season ran from 7-9pm
on Monday evenings at a cost of £8 per evening plus materials. Juniors
and OAPs £5.
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Castlehill Heritage Centre
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Summer exhibition
- Comings and Goings
Immigration -
early settlers, incoming landowners and clergy and professionals, job
seekers from the West to the flagstone industry and the fishing, influx
of servicemen during WWII, Dounreay workers and scientists, Yanks to the
Nav.com.sta at Forss and Murkle.
Emigration
- sailors , mariners, explorers, soldiers in British army, officials in
British Empire and their employees, 19th century emigrants in search of
a better life etc.
Presented in support
of Scotland's Year of Homecoming 2009
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Six weekly
sessions at 7.30pm
16th September
23rd September
30th
September
6th October
14th October
21st October
Grand Finale
Homecoming Concert
on Friday 30th
October
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'Tidelines'
- a local musical heritage project
 In
conjunction with Caithness Voices and North Highland Connections.
Castletown Heritage
Society presented Tidelines, a local musical heritage project to
collect and perform tunes and songs reflecting past history and contemporary
life in the area.
Workshop with Grey
Coast Theatre and Katrina Gordon, music director. participants contributed
memories of song, poems, comic or sad tales of the past.
Series of workshops
leading to performance as part of village homecoming concert 'Caithness
Voices' and performance of Fields of Barley by George Gunn (Set in war-time
Castletown),
held in Castletown Drill Hall on Friday 30 October 2009
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Saturday
14 Nov
10am to 3pm
Entry free
Castlehill
Heritage Centre
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Pre-Christmas
Sale at Castlehill
 Locals
struggling to come up with that original Christmas gift for a friend or
loved one came along in droves to our pre Christmas sale to peruse our
unique selection of original Christmas gifts with a local focus.
- Slate and stone
goods from Caithness Stone Industries
- Cards, prints
and paintings from local artist Helen Moore
- Wood
items lovingly crafted by the North Highland Woodturners Association
- Hand knit hats,
scarves, bags, socks and Christmas ornaments from Caithness Stitch 'n'
Blether
- Silk scarves,
driftwood art, hand felted items from Castlehill Crafts
- Books and calendars
from Castlehill Heritage Centre
- Items lovingly
crafted by North Highland Woodturners Association
- Christmas cracker
fun and much, much more.
Enjoy a cup of tea
or coffee as you browse and purchase.
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Saturday 26th September
10am - 12 noon
Castlehill
Heritage Centre
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Weaving Workshop
- Come and Try It Day
 Run
in association with the Highland
Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers
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Two day workshop
Saturday 29th Sunday 30th
August
Castlehill
Heritage Centre
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Drystone
Dyking Course
 Castletown
Heritage Society held 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, coached 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.
Such was the popularity
of this workshop that a supplementary workshop was held at East Murkle
Croft on the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd August under tutor George Gunn.
It too was fully booked.
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Saturday 11th July
10am - 3.30pm
Castlehill
Heritage Centre
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Weaving Workshop
Unique
opportunity to learn basic weaving techniques, including Viking tablet
weaving and knot weaving. Workshop tutor Andrew Kieran also demonstrated
checks and tartan weaving. Course participants produced a small woven
article.
The group size was
limited to five. For further information contact
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Saturday 20th
June
10am - 12.30
and
1.30 to 4pm
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 Wood
turning Open Day
Practical demonstration
of the art and skills by members of the North Highland Woodturners Association.
Special theme
was the use of Caithness grown wood - its special characteristics and
rarity. Visitors were able to try their
hand at wood turning under expert tuition. Exhibition
of works and sale of articles.
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Summer programme
of activities
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Looking for Vikings - Summer programme of field work on
the Dunnet links - geo-physical surveys, coring, trial pits, excavations
and post excavation analysis. Paul Humphreys was our project leader, with
technical support provided by Graham Cavers of AOC Archaeology.
Interested in taking
part in future events? CONTACT
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Wednesday 22 April
7.30pm
Castlehill
Heritage Centre
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Castletown
Heritage Society
Annual
General Meeting
Guest speaker - Mike
Ledger, Quarryside, talked about his research and travels in the pursuit
of the story of those local men named on the Castletown War Memorial.
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3 Day workshop
Fri 6 March
Sat 7 March
Sun 8 March
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Unravelling
the past with Deirdre Nalson
 Three
day workshop - participants learned to interpret aspects of local
social history through knitting with Deirdre Nelson. Workshop cost was
£5 per day.
Since graduating
from Glasgow school of art in 1992, Deirdre has pursued a parallel career
in creating work for exhibiton and commission and in working as a tutor
to various groups. Hand skills are used in her work in a humorous commentary
on social and textile history. Her textile work employs a variety of techniques
and materials fusing traditional textile skills and contemporary reinterpretation
through photography and digital manipulation.
For further information
on Deirdre check her website: www.deirdre-nelson.com
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Sat 21 February
10am - 4pm
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 Never
felt better? - Joanne Kaar teaches the art of making cosy
felt scarves.
In the very popular
workshop, participants learned how to prepare the materials, design and
then create their own scarf, which was theirs to take away.
Workshop fee was
£30, inclusive of materials. £15 deposit required, refundable
up to two weeks before event. For futher info- contact
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Sunday 1 February
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Looking
for Vikings - Post Excavation Workshop
Following
on from last summer 's successful archaeological training project run
in conjunction with AOC archaeology, Castletown Heritage held a second
post excavation workshop on Sunday 1st February. The
hands-on workshop was led by Dr Andy Heald and involved practical demonstration
and instruction in the techniques and processes involved in sifting, sorting,
recording and analysing finds from archaeological excavations.
For further information
- contact
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Winter Exhibition
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Crofting and
Farming Exhibition
 Displays
focused 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 were all featured. Associated trades
and activities were not forgotten.
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