Category: Collections

Our Curatorial Apprentice, Shannen Calderwood, has kindly taken the time to share some of her thoughts, impressions and experiences she has had whilst working with us so far. If you’re thinking of starting out in the heritage sector or love Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds and want to find out more about what’s happening behind the scenes – this is for you!

This week marks the halfway point of my modern apprenticeship here at Dunollie – six whole months of being part of this incredible team! I have learned so much during my time here already that I wanted to take a moment and reflect on what a great six months it has been here.

This apprenticeship has provided me my first opportunity to get into the sector, so I came with no experience specific to working in a museum setting, just enthusiasm for learning and a personal love of Scottish social history.

I landed in the best place I possibly could have – working with the Hope MacDougall Collection. Miss Hope MacDougall was daughter, sister, and aunt to three successive MacDougall chiefs, with the current chief Madam Morag MacDougall being her niece. Hope had a true passion for social history, especially the working lives of people in the highlands and islands, and dedicated her life to amassing an incredibly strong collection, which now resides here at Dunollie. It is a brilliant comparative collection, telling stories about topics from agriculture and fishing, to Travelling communities in Scotland, to the domestic lives of those living in this part of the country – and much, much more. Being able to spend my time keeping this collection safe, as well as finding out about the incredible, one-of-a-kind person that Miss Hope MacDougall was, has been a dream come true for me. And there are still lots of things that I don’t know – watch this space for some Hope-related projects!

Outside of working with the collections, I have been lucky enough to hang out with our Heritage Engagement Officer, Jamie, when he has been hosting primary school workshops both before the season started and since. This has allowed me to spend time with young people from the local area, helping and encouraging them to engage with their local history and understand all of the incredible stories that the MacDougall’s were involved in. This gave me the idea to work on some interpretation signs for our museum which are aimed at children – they will be installed in our museum soon. These signs will hopefully help other young people engage with history – without all the boring parts!

At the start of the season, I began doing one day of guided tours a week. We deliver two tours here each day, Monday to Friday, which last around 45 minutes. Our tour tells the story of the site – from Mesolithic occupation to the great kingdom of Dalriada, culminating in the birth of the MacDougall clan who have occupied their clan seat here for almost 1,000 years.

I was initially – and, sometimes, still am – so nervous to undertake this as I wanted guests to Dunollie to have the best experience possible. But I have found the tour to be such a lovely way to share the history here with other people – especially as we get a lot of travelling MacDougall’s on our tours. A lot of our visitors are really engaged with the history, and sharing these stories with them feels so special – and often I learn something from them, too. I am so glad I was able to get over the nerves and take up the Monday tours because it can be one of the best parts of my week.

As well as the above, you’ll catch me at Dunollie being a jack of all trades, jumping in to cover the reception or kettle Café if needs be – as everyone here does.

The whole team here have been so helpful and supportive of me as someone coming into this job from hospitality, wondering if I will be able to learn the skills I need to effectively contribute to both the care of collections here and the team in general. I have learned valuable lessons and skills from all of our team members, and it is the most supportive and happy place to work. Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds is thriving this season and it’s because all of us are truly passionate about preserving and protecting the historic artefacts and stories which live here.

Here’s to the next six months!

-Shannen

Shannen’s post is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Argyll Aspires project managed by CHARTS (Culture Heritage & Arts Argyll & Isles). The Museums and Galleries Practice SVQ, a level 7 qualification, is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.

It’s always very exciting to welcome visitors back onsite after our usual five-month winter closure, but this year especially so! We work very hard to improve our visitor experience, and this time, we are proud to report several important changes. The first of these, which we would like to talk about today, is our new handrail along the Castle path, which, we believe, will make Dunollie’s castle ruin safely accessible to many more visitors this year.

Our main issue in terms of physical access has always been the steepness of the hill on which Dunollie Castle is situated. Before opening as a visitors site 11 years ago, we had already moved the path leading up to the castle in an attempt to make the climb easier and to increase the number of visitors reaching the top. Whilst this was a huge improvement, the path remained very steep. Installing the handrail has been long, time-consuming project and one that staff members and trustees have been working on since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mound on which Dunollie Castle is situated is a scheduled monument, and therefore we work hard to ensure that any archaeological remains are carefully preserved. Any excavation work is carried out by a professional archaeologist with the consent of Historic Environment Scotland.

We had to therefore think a little bit outside of the box to find a way to secure a handrail without it affecting the ground on which it would stand – and so we did. When the wych elm in Dunollie’s Simba Garden was deemed unsafe for a visitor attraction and had to be felled, we had an idea.

With the consent of Historic Environment Scotland and funding from the Clan MacDougall and MacDowell Society of North America, we were able to move the lengths of wych elm to line the castle path. The logs were then tethered to the ground using wire mesh secured underneath the path itself. The idea at this point was to install metal railings into the logs and then a length of rope – but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we had to wait a few years to finish the project.

In 2022 we began work on finishing the handrail, and thanks to funding from the Oban Common Good Fund for the metal railings, a donation of rope from CalMac and volunteer help to move the remaining logs, we now have a completed handrail ready for the 2023 season.

Thanks to this handrail, we hope to provide a safer climb to Dunollie Castle and it’s breath-taking views across Oban Bay and the Inner Hebrides.

The handrail project was made possible thanks to generous donations from the Oban Common Fund, Clan MacDougall and MacDowell Society of North America, as well as several individual donations, volunteer time and the support of Historic Environment Scotland. We also owe thanks to our contractors Norman Steeman Engineering and Highland Tree Routes, to CalMac for providing rope, as well as former Business and Sustainability Manager Jane Isaacson who had the original idea and worked on the scheduled monument consent from Historic Environment Scotland.

To find out more about the accessibility of our site as a whole, visit our website (click here). If you have any questions, please get in touch by emailing info@dunollie.org and we will do our best to help.

For the last 143 years, Dunollie was the proud home of a Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Monkey Puzzle Trees are originally from South America and were first brought to the UK in the late 18th century and became extremely popular during Victorian and Edwardian times. We have reason to believe ours was planted in 1880, whilst Charles Allan MacDougall, 27th Chief of his clan, resided in Dunollie House.

The monkey puzzle tree is in the background, at the centre of the photo taken in April 2023.

For the last couple of years, our team and many of our visitors noted that our monkey puzzle tree simply didn’t look it’s best. All of it’s lower branches seemed to have died and fallen off with only those at the very top remaining. Recently, our fears were officially confirmed as large amounts of honey fungus was found in the tree.

It was no longer safe to have on a visitor’s site as it might have come crashing down in the next storm. This could have been a disastrous in a number of ways. Firstly because it may have injured some of our staff and visitors. Secondly as it risked damaging part of the house which is a Scheduled Monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland as well as our collections store and our office space. Finally, if the tree had fallen in any other direction, it would have caused great damage to the rest of our grounds.

RM Tree Services removing the branches one by one in May 2023.

It was with a heavy heart but full understanding that we arranged to have it taken down. We called upon the assistance of RM Tree Services with whom we have worked with in the past. They did an excellent job and clearly aren’t afraid of heights!

New Routes Health & Wellbeing participants pilling up monkey puzzle seeds and branches in May 2023.

Last week, our New Routes Health and Well-being Group finished clearing up the smaller branches and seeds left from the Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Whilst we were very sad to see it go, we know this makes our site a safer place and was the only way to protect ourselves, our visitors and our collection. It’s also an exciting new beginning for our site with space for other amazing plants to grow and thrive.

Images of Dunollie’s Woodland Grounds taken throughout the year.

Some of you will know that this isn’t our only tree to have come down in the last few years.

For any enquiries about our wood, please contact us via email on info@dunollie.org

Or what to expect from your next visit to Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds

What is GLAD?

GLAD stands for the Dunollie Garden Links and Digital project, which we undertook thanks to a recovery fund from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for Scotland. It was a huge part of our life at Dunollie for 12 months starting in March 2022. To find out more about the project, and all the activities which took place as part of it, have a look at our website (click here).

Now that the Dunollie GLAD project has come to an end, and as we enter a new open season, we are excited to share all the improvements and changes to our site with all of you. Whilst most of our activities took place during the project itself, much is left to show for it now and hopefully for many more years.

Thanks to this project we have two new trails through our grounds which should greatly impact the visitor experience. The first of these, Dunollie’s Mythical Creatures QR trail, has been up and running since the summer of 2022 and has been a huge success ever since. Aimed at children aged 3-12, it promotes outdoor learning and fosters curiosity and creativity by providing a journey of discovery through our enchanting woodland grounds in a quest for QR codes and mythical creatures of Scottish folklore hiding in the surrounding landscapes. All our visitors are welcome to scan the QR codes as they go along but the full experience comes with a beautiful map, stickers and a special prize for just an extra £3 per child.

To find out more about this activity, click on the button below.

Our second trail is being launched for the first time in April 2023. This time aimed at adults, Dunollie’s Garden Trail is made of beautiful pull-up signs throughout the areas of site not covered by our Guided Tours and provides insightful information about the grounds and Dunollie’s history written both in English and Scottish Gaelic and including QR codes for additional information. To give the time to adults visiting with children to read and immerse themselves in this new trail, we have created a new Dunollie Explorer’s Trail by including a brass rubbings on each post for children to find and colour in independently, thus proving their parents have successfully found each sign of the adult trail and successfully completed it.

To find out more about children’s activities and visiting Dunollie as a family, click on the button below.

As part of the Dunollie GLAD project, we were able to build a whole new, wheelchair-accessible path through the shrubbery which offers a beautiful new angle through which to explore Dunollie’s Historic Woodland Grounds.

We also have new planters, plants as well as a welcome archway with an improved map of our site to help visitors take in their surroundings upon arrival.

As well as a second archway along the castle path in honour of our New Routes Health and Wellbeing Group and all the work they have done for Dunollie over the last few years.

We are very pleased to have a new sheltered outdoor space in the World of Trees, which we plan to use for events and outdoor learning activities throughout the year.

Finally, the Dunollie GLAD Project has also left us with a new greenhouse, home to many exciting and ambituous projects. Most notably, we plan to keep fostering our close ties with Oban High School and welcome High School Gardening Groups to use our greenhouse space to learn and grow organic vegetables to fit into our Kettle Garden Café’s new seasonal menus.

To find out more about the Kettle Garden Café and its menu, click on the button below:

Many thanks to national lottery players for helping us make this project a reality.

If you are reading this and have already visited Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds during the 2023 season, we would love to hear from you. If you have any feedback, please let us know by emailing info@dunollie.org or by clicking on the button below.

Well, where do I even begin when writing about our New Routes group. You’ll struggle to find a better bunch of characters out there. Every single session, come rain or shine, they arrive with a beaming smile on their face, ready to make a difference at Dunollie.

The New Routes group was founded in 2016 with the focus of giving vulnerable adults an opportunity to get into the great outdoors and to tackle social isolation. It also allowed for the participants to develop new skills, mainly in grounds maintenance and woodworking, amongst others.

Some of New Routes’ other projects:

When it became safe to do so following the first year of the pandemic, restarting New Routes came to the forefront of my agenda. For many of the participants, despite the enjoyment of working hard in the grounds, the value of company and regular social opportunities is what’s most important. When I first met the guys in April 2021, it immediately became clear that we needed to get this show back on the road! They had all missed each other greatly, along with the routine of coming here every Wednesday to turn their hand at whatever lay before them.

Many things came to a halt when the pandemic arrived, and we at Dunollie were no different. One of the areas which suffered most during this period was our gardens, as we were unable to maintain them between repeated lockdowns. Once New Routes came back on site, we saw it as our vision to improve the grounds and tackle the worst affected areas.

Dunollie’s Grounds through the seasons:

Our first challenge was the SIMBA Garden, as invasive weeds and general overgrowth had taken hold of this once beautiful space. First, we sought to reclaim the lost path by weeding, raking, and hoeing our way through the vegetation. We then turned our attention towards clearing out other invasive plants from the flower beds and generally tidying up the area. In the space of a couple of sessions in the warm summer sun, New Routes had completely transformed this elegant little garden back into its pre-pandemic beauty.

The Simba Garden before and during New Routes’ work:

The Simba Garden after New Routes’ work:

Another example of the positive difference that New Routes make at Dunollie can be seen on the path from the 1745 Museum, down to the reception booth. With plenty of heavy rainfall and storms hitting the west coast over the winter months, the walkway flooded and caused an unsafe gulley to form. New Routes tackled this project head on with wheelbarrows, rakes, and shovels. Despite the adverse conditions, they leveled out the path and added quarry dust to strengthen and reinforce the path below.

Most recently, as the sun came out of hibernation, New Routes sought to tackle the tremendous overgrowth of brambles and bamboo which had entrenched itself around our Wellingtonia and extended out towards the pond. After two sessions of hard work, this section was given a whole new lease of life. As a result of this dedication, we now have scope to plant new shrubs, as well as the potential to implement new paths to enhance our visitor experience.

New Routes, working near the Wellingtonia and the pond:

The various lockdowns over the past two years have shown us how much groups like New Routes mean to their participants. On a weekly basis multiple members voice their delight at being allowed to meet up again and to make a positive difference with their friends here at Dunollie. I have been taking the group for over a year now and it’s been such a pleasure to work alongside them every week and to witness their growth – I really look forward to seeing what the future holds for New Routes at Dunollie Museum, Castle & Grounds.

Sincerely,

Jamie

Heritage Engagement and Access Officer