Castletown Heritage Society operates the Castlehill Heritage Centre as an educational resource for visitors, local students and school children and the local community. Through a programme of interpretive exhibitions and interactive workshops, we seek to stimulate and sustain interest in and understanding of the history, heritage, vernacular skills, biodiversity and physical environment of Castletown and the parish of Olrig. Our aim is to preserve and maintain the unique heritage of our community within both local Caithness and broader Highland contexts.
To see events and activities from previous years, click here:
All events took place in Castlehill Heritage Centre unless otherwise stated
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
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.
Castlehill Heritage Centre
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
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
'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
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.
Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee as you browse and purchase.
Run in association with the Highland Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers
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.
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
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.
Summer programme of activities
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
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.
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 exhibition 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
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 further info- contact
Never felt better? - Joanne Kaar teaches the art of making cosy felt scarves.
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
Winter Exhibition
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.
