What we’re doing at House of Dun

Transcript

Jason Robertson – In terms of the project at the House of Dun, we are probably about two thirds there now. We’ve still got probably another month to go.
They’re making significant changes structurally in the buildings. We’re starting to see the breaking through of the walls, opening up the spaces and are really getting on very well with the project.
The cabinetry is already finished and is at the main contractor’s workshops.
We’re just getting ready for the rooms to be ready to put all that cabinetry in, and then after that we then go back in again and set dress each of the rooms.

In 2017 the decision was made to decant the Glamis Angus Folk Museum collection to a storage facility, which I’m standing in today in Brechin.
As you can see, around me is the 4,500-piece collection that Lady Maitland has collected over the years.
The Angus Folk Museum collection and its original concept was much in need of updating and curation.

Going forward, we intend to tell the story in a much newer, interactive way that is not just visual but also will stimulate other senses through lighting techniques, signs and smells.
The plan is for about a third of this collection to be rehoused as part of the priority project at House of Dun, with the balance of it in phase two to then be stored within the House of Dun and the grounds, to be able to use to swap in and out, to update the collection as we go over the years.

Some of the key pieces that are here in the warehouse that will be rehoused at House of Dun will be the Glenesk hearse, which will tell lots of the stories between Angus and its people. Lots of the farm equipment that you can see, and lots of the smaller items, ranging from crockery, pots and pans that will tell the story of Angus’ people and their connection with food and drink.
And also when it comes to the relationship that we have with the whaling industry, you’ll see the harpoon and the harpoon guns, the story of the linen industry and the weaving that Angus is very famous for as well.

Lindsay Mackinnon has been taken in as a third party to assist us with getting the collection ready and she’s very detailed going through all of the boxes, all of the scripts to do with what’s going into each room and then she’s been meticulously cleaning, updating and repairing everything that we need to be able to take
into the collection, so people can see it in its full glory.