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REGULAR
EVENTS
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Oct - Dec
Open every Wed, Sat and
Sun afternoon from 2pm to 4pm
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Autumn
Exhibition -
Needles, shuttles and all
Explore the fascinating
world of needles, thread, thimbles, awls, brads, looms, sewing machines,
knitting machines, lasts, patterns and all sorts of intriguing equipment
and devices. Learn about the trades that relied on them, and the hobbies
and pastimes that used them. Do you know your Singers from your Brothers?
Almost every home used to have one!
To find out more
click HERE
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Sat 21, Sun
22, Boxing Day, Sat 28 and Sun 29 December
2pm to 4pm
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Special
Event - Art Exhibition by Castlehill Artists
 Currently
on display
is a selection of the art work done this year by students at Castlehill
Art Group under their tutor Helen Moore. Each student has three pictures
on show in a range of oils, acrylics, water colour and pen and ink. Be
prepared to be amazed!
The group meets on
Monday evenings and new members are welcome. To
find out more and register interest, click HERE
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First Sunday
of every month from 1.30pm
to 3.30pm
Plus
Third Thursday
of every month from 7pm - 9pm
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Castlehill Spinning Group
 Returning
spinners and new spinners most welcome.
Come along and have
a try. No wheel needed. Come and be inspinnerised!!
To find out more,
click HERE
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Castlehill
Archaeology Club
The Castlehill Archaeology
Club meets regularly under the guidance of Paul Humphreys.
Interested in taking
part? - click
HERE
See also CAT
website for details.
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Monday evenings
7 - 9pm
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Castlehill
Artists
Our
very popular painting workshop with Helen Moore.
Sessions run from
7-9pm on Monday evenings at a cost of £8 per evening plus materials.
Juniors and OAPs £5. Beginners are especially welcome.
To find out more,
click HERE
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COMPLETED
2013 EVENTS
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19 &
20 January 2013
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Paper
Making Workshop
As long a go as the third millenium BC, the ancient Egyptians made a thick
paper like material from the pith of the papyrus plant. The finished product
was good enough to use as a writing surface and was widely used as a rival
to parchment (which was made from animal skins). Nowadays we take paper
for granted, and it is readily available to purchase in a wide variety
of forms and finishes. But the art of paper making from whatever materials
are available to hand has not been lost - as our tutor for this exiting,
hands-on workshop demonstrated.
Local artist Joanne
B Kaar is a papermaker of international repute, and over the two days
of the workshop she took us through the process preparing paper from a
diverse range of materials. Did you know you could make paper from such
things as banana skins, celery, cabbage, orange peel, onion skins, nettles,
rush, NZ Flax, thistle down, pine needles, grasses or hosta..... to name
but a few? Amazing!
The two day workshop
took place on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th January 2013. Cost
per person was £60 per person. Materials were provided, however
participants were encouraged to bring along their own dried materials
- whatever they may be!
See News
Page for a report and photographs.
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Every
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon 2pm- 4pm
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Winter exhibition
- Personal memories
 Our
latest themed exhibition, setting on display for the first time the amazing
selection of artefacts donated to Castletown Heritage Society over the
past year. From milk churns to period costume and paraffin lamps - an
eclectic mix of ephemera and memories of granny's house. A real memory
jogger!
Display now includes
a 1941 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine!!
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Monoprinting
Monoprinting is the
process of creating individual prints using printing plates in combination
with water-based or oil-based inks or paint. The 'mono' bit reflects that
a monoprint is a single print, thus you have to re-ink your plate and
recreate your image each time you want to make a print. No two prints
can ever be exactly the same! It is simple, spontaneous and a fun way
to introduce yourself to printmaking and to produce your own original
prints!
Evening workshop
with Jana Emburey.
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Quiz
Night at Castlehill
 Traditonal
'pub style' quiz night fun
Prizes and Raffle
- Home baking
and tea/coffee
Entry fee £10
per team (max 4 per team)
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Saturday 13 April
10am - 3pm
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Basic
Sewing Workshop
- back by popular demand!
 Come
along and learn (or re-familiarise yourself) with this basic traditional
skill. Learn
how to put in a new zip, take up a hem or sew on a button. Bring your
problem with you!
Our experienced seamstress
Helen Gunn will be on hand to guide you through the basics and answer
your queries.
Workshop fee £10
- bring your own packed lunch - tea/coffee provided.
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Wed 24 April
7.30pm
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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 24 April at 7pm.
Guest speaker Gordon
Reid, North
Highland Archive Wick.
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Tue 30 April
7pm
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Talk
- Regeneration of cottages in the Backies
 An
illustrated talk by Pauline Megson of the Prince's
Regeneration Trust on the renovation of the Castletown flagstone workers'
cottages in the Backies.
Pauline will also
help you discover what the archtectural features in your own house may
tell you about its history.
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Genealogy
Surgery - First World War
 Did
your ancestor serve in the army during the First World War? Want to find
out more but don't know where to start? Started your research and hit
a brick wall? Found information but puzzled by what it means?
Then come along to
Castlehill Heritage Centre on 19th May, where an experienced researcher
will be on hand during the afternoon to give advice on how and where to
research First World War soldiers and how to interpret the results. The
session is free and there is no need to book ahead - but please bring
anything (medals, photographs, documents, etc) that may give clues about
your ancestor's service.
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Wed 22 May
7pm
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Artefacts
of Mystery
A talk by Muriel
Murray on some of the more unusual artefacts donated to the Society.
Event staged as part
of the 10th Caithness & Sutherland Walking Festival.
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Every
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon 2pm- 4pm
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Spring exhibition
- Education
 Our
latest themed exhibition explores education through the ages in Castletown
and the Parish of Olrig. Memorabilia from Castletown School, teachers
and pupils alike! Can you recite your times tables? Or identify the capital
cities of the world? Delve into a pre-ball point pen era and try your
hand at writing using a pencil and slate, or ink and a scratchy nib pen.
Your efforts may be marked out of 10!
Lots for children
to see, try and learn, and adults to reminisce.
Also on display
- a 1941 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine!!
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Saturday 29 June
2pm - 4pm
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Wild
North Festival - Plants from Pre-History
Illustrated talk
by Seona Anderson.
Held as part of the
Wild North Festival.
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Sunday 30 June
to
Thursday 4 July
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Wild
North Festival - Bumblebees
 An
exhibition on the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Full details
to follow.
Held as part of the
Wild North Festival.
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North
Highland Woodturners talk and demonstration
Talk by Michael Brolly
from Philedelphia, USA - woodturning artist and sculptor of lathe turned
objects. This will be followed by a wood turning demonstration by Michael
O'Donnell - world famous green woodturner from Caithness.
ALL WELCOME -
ADMISSION £5
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Afternoon
Teas at Castlehill
In response to popular
demand, on every Sunday in July we served afternoon teas at Castlehill.
Unique,
locally themed home baking, such as Flagstone Biscuits, Primula Scotica
Cup Cakes, and Dunnet Head Layer Cake. Guaranteed to get the taste buds
dancing!
A perfect way to
complement a Sunday afternoon stroll round the Flagstone trail or a meander
round the Heritage Garden.
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Science
at Castlehill - The Forces of Nature
 Following
on from the success of our automaton workshop last year, this workshop
provided an exciting and stimulating hands on experience for children
to explore the mysterious forces of wind, which powered the water pump
in the Castlehill flagstone quarry workings.
This free workshop
was aimed at 5-13 year olds and their parents for the younger ones but
any age was welcome.
 The
workshop involved building a model wind turbine, with the aim of lifting
a small weight through a fixed distance in as short a time as possible,
using hair dryers for the "wind". The early part of the workshop investigated
the energy contained in the wind and the viscosity of air in comparison
with other media.
It was a great opportunity
for some science themed bonding time with Dad/Mum!
The workshop was
led by local STEM
Embassador Pat Kieran MBE, and John Keeton.
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27 September
7.30pm
Drill Hall, Castletown
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World
War II Concert
 Building
on the success of the Edwardian Concert held two years ago, last night
CHS laid on an evening's entertainment from the 1940s. The event generally
followed the format of the 'Welcome Home' concerts organised in the village
to raise funds for the war effort and to show appreciation for local servicemen
and women returning home on leave in the course of the war.
See the News page
dateline 28 September, for a full report and photos from the event.
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June - Sept
Open every Wed, Sat and
Sun afternoon from 2pm to 4pm
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Summer
Exhibition -
Flagstone Industry
Learn about how the
Flagstone Industry shaped the social history of Castletown and the Parish
of Olrig. Discover life as a flagstone worker in the 18th and 18th century,
when the robust, high quality flagstone from the local quarries was exported
as far afield as Argentina and Australia! Also on display are special
features on the work of the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust, the Patchwork
Meadow (a tapestry for our times) and fossils!
To find out more
click HERE
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Hands-on
archaeology week
 Caithness
Archaeological Trust and Castletown Heritage Society are offering a chance
for the public to come to Castlehill Heritage Centre during the week beginning
Monday October 7th 2013 to get experience of archaeological finds analysis
- including wet-seiving, sorting, dry-seiving, analysing and recording
soil samples from recent excavations in Caithness.
Training and tuition
will be given by a qualified archaeologist. The
first day will be an induction day, suitable for first-timers.
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Saturday
19 Oct
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Drystone
Dyking Workshop
 Returning
by popular demand - a drystone dyking course at Castlehill, under the
guidance of local master craftsman, George Gunn.
See event report
on the news page
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Sat 26 October
10am to 7pm
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Spinners
go Global
 Earlier
this year Castlehill Heritage Centre was a buzz of activity when the Castlehill
Spinning Group took part in a 'Spinning Challenge'
with another spinning group based in Stanley in the Falkland Islands.
Well, such was the
success of the event that the Spinning Group have arranged a global link-up
spanning all seven continents! This unique event will take place on
Saturday 26 October at Castlehill Heritage Centre.
The event is very
much open to visitors, so if you want to take part in or witness a unique,
groundbreaking event come along any time between 10am and 7pm, where,
subject to the technology performing to order Castlehill will be in live
contact with spinning groups across the globe.
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16 November
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Pre-Christmas
Craft Sale at Castlehill
 Struggling
to come up with that original Christmas gift for a friend or loved one?
Then why not come along to our pre Christmas sale to peruse our unique
selection of original Christmas gifts, all locally produced.
Including:
- Wood items lovingly
crafted by the North Highland Woodturners Association
- Hand knit hats,
scarves, bags, socks and Christmas ornaments
- Silk scarves,
driftwood art, hand felted items from Castlehill Crafts
- Books and calendars
from Castletown Heritage Society
- Locally produced
pens, soaps, jewellery and much much more!
Enjoy a cup of tea
or coffee and home baking as you browse and purchase.
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Thursday
26 December
1pm to 4pm
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Boxing Day Mulled
Wine & Mince Pies
 Join
us at Castlehill Heritage Centre for mulled wine, mince-meat pies and
a good going chinwag on our traditional festive Boxing Day opening.
Also on display will
be a special selection of the art work done this year by students at Castlehill
Art Group under their tutor Helen Moore. Each student has three pictures
on show in a range of oils, acrylics, water colour and pen and ink.
See News
page for a full report and photos!
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