Author: rhoda437

  • The Dunollie Handrail

    The Dunollie Handrail

    Improving Access to Dunollie: A new handrail along the castle path

    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 completed the 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.

  • The Dunollie Garden Links and Digital (GLAD) Project

    The Dunollie Garden Links and Digital (GLAD) Project

    We received £114,854 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a year long project focused on Gardens, Links and Digital (GLAD). The project, cost £120,597 in total, started in March 2022 and ended in March 2023.

    ​Supported through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Dunollie GLAD included a packed list of activities, including adding to and upgrading Dunollie’s Historic Woodland Grounds, providing engaging activities for the local community, as well as family days out and activities for a younger age group.

    ​Dunollie GLAD focused on three main strands:

    • Dunollie’s  Historic Garden activity space for social distance and outdoor opportunities.
    • Dunollie Links Post Covid – Community Engagement in ways which meet the needs of the new normal and
    • Dunollie Digital connections taking our resource and bringing it bang up to date in the post-covid world-wide digital market place.
  • Sophy & White: the Dunollie Collections Unboxed

    Sophy & White: the Dunollie Collections Unboxed

    About the Project:

    ​We received £166,917 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a 30 month long project focused on our museum collection. This project started in January 2024 and will end in July 2026.

    ​‘Sophy’ and ’White’ are two of the rooms situated in Dunollie House which make up our museum storeroom facilities.

    Sophy

    ​‘Sophy’ is home to 3,000 items of clan and family dress and textiles dating from 1620 to early 20th century. These objects have been largely locked down since their discovery in 2002 for the safety of the objects.

    White

    ‘White’ houses the Hope MacDougall Collection gathered in the latter half of the 20th century to record the working and domestic life in Argyll and across the Highlands and Islands. The objects were collected to Hope’s private ‘museum’ in her home – Ganavan House, Oban, from 1966 until her death in 1998, by which time she had over 5,000 objects supported by archive and background material.

    Sophy & White aims to safeguard, contextualise, and maximise the impact of these extensive collections by auditing, reviewing, recording, and making them accessible to wider audiences. Doing so will be the perfect opportunity to engage new participants, facilitate creativity, and provide new skills for the community through the delivery of a four dynamic collections development projects covering themes such as Scottish women collectors, changing agricultural methods and traditions, fashion and textiles and sustainability. This has been our dream as a museum for many years and, thanks to national lottery players, we are finally able to make it come true.

    The Team:

    ​The Sophy & White Project is lead by two staff members, Shannen Provan-Sloan as Collections Development Officer  and Flora MacLeod Swietlicki as Engagement and Learning Officer.

    ​Shannen and Flora are working with a lovely group of 20 volunteers at the moment. If you are interested in joining or would like to know more about volunteering with Sophy & White, please get in touch with Shannen on shannen@dunollie.org.