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Caithness News Bulletins April 2004

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Museums Index Thurso Heritage  
FURTHER PROGRESS WITH REDEVELOPMENT OF THURSO TOWN HALL

Plans to redevelop Thurso Town Hall and the adjoining Thurso Museum into a multi-purpose visitor, information and community centre called "Caithness Horizons" have taken a key step forward with the appointment of a specialist exhibition design team to develop the internal design of the revamped building and a museum assistant to audit and catalogue the museum collections.

MKW Design Partnership from Edinburgh will work closely with Property and Architectural Services of The Highland Council to develop the theme of "Caithness Horizons" for the interior design of the building. The visitor/exhibition areas will present a journey through time which reflects the history and the rich heritage of Caithness by means of interpretive displays which will include an audio visual presentation. There will also be spaces provided for the staging of temporary exhibitions. The completion of the design will then enable funding applications to be supported with fully designed and costed proposals.

Working with the design consultants will be Alan McIvor, the volunteer exhibitions co-ordinator with the Thurso Heritage Society, who is being seconded for 17 weeks by The Highland Council to work as a museums assistant, auditing and cataloguing more than 3,000 items held in storage by the Society and the Council.


Alan McIvor the volunteer exhibitions co-ordinator with the Thurso Heritage Society, who is being seconded for 17 weeks by The Highland Council to work as a museums assistant, auditing and cataloguing more than 3,000 items held in storage by the Society and the Council.

Alan, who has worked with the Council for 11 years, took up his temporary new duties this week, working from the Thurso Museum. He will return to his job as a street sweeper in Thurso, once his task at the museum is completed.

Alan said: "I have a strong interest in the heritage of Thurso and have been working on my own collection for eight years. My job over the next four months will be to photograph and create a data base of all the items held by the Council and the Society. This will help identify the space required by the design team for the museum."

The Council is also beginning to firm up alternative plans for current community-based groups during the refurbishment period.

As owners of the Town Hall, the Council is working in partnership with UKAEA and Thurso Heritage Society to redevelop the Town Hall and adjacent Thurso Museum, to create a focal point for Thurso including a top class visitor attraction for the area. Other partners are also in support of the project - Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, UHI Environmental Research Institute, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Castle of Mey Trust, Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board and Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise.

The main components are proposed to be: -

  •  Permanent and temporary exhibitions and displays that collectively showcase Caithness and Thurso;
  • Lecture and audio visual presentation facilities;
  • A Tourist Information Centre;
  • A Council Service Point;
  •  A caf�

Convener of The Highland Council's Caithness Area Committee, Councillor David Flear has welcomed the progress being made on the project.

He said: "It is important that the public see things happening and we are delighted to have taken these further steps towards our goal of transforming the Town Hall into a focal point for the local community and visitors alike."

Plans For New Visitor Centre At Thurso Town Hall
The project is the establishment and operation of a multi-purpose visitor, information and community centre within the Thurso Town Hall and the adjacent Carnegie Library through the restoration, refurbishment and alteration of the building.
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