Learning From The Past - Fiona’s visit to Strathnaver Museum

As part of the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival, and to coincide with Doors Open Day, Strathnaver Museum in Bettyhill hosted an open day which included craft activities, treasure hunts and building tours. Their Climate Festival focus was on exploring the sustainability methods of the past. I joined Fiona, the Museum Manager, on a tour where she shared some of the interesting, sustainable practices used during the time of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the far north of Scotland, wood was a scarce resource for the local populace and remains so today.  Past generations became inventive in finding sustainable practices for home building.  Hanging above your head in the museum is the remains of a large tree.  It is believed that with the scarcity of wood and timber, in the winter the local people would spot an area of the moor and bog that was not freezing like the surrounding area.  The community would come together to dig up the ground, in search of old logs and petrified wood that could be used in building works.  An adaptable and resourceful community was vital for local survival, especially in a remote area and inventive solutions had to be found.

One of the museum exhibits shows the structure of a blackhouse.  Blackhouses were a common structure used for local housing.  With the struggle for resources, the wooden framework was often reused.  The timbers for this home are believed to have been salvaged from the shipwreck of the Norwegian ship, Thorvaldsen, in 1858.  So precious was the salvaged wood that the timbers were auctioned off directly from the beach and used in the construction of several local blackhouses. 

The museum was also hosting the Bettyhill Spinners during the Open Day.  The local spinners are mindful of the scarcity of resources locally, and keen to encourage more sustainable practices.  The wool they were working with on the day came from cheviots, that are plentiful in the area.  They were also using the scrap colours left from mass market production to create unique and beautiful woven items.

The connections between the adaptability of our ancestors and the power of community resonate with many of the community climate projects that the Hub currently support.  With thanks to Fiona and the team at Strathnaver Museum for sharing local stories and giving me an insight into what we can learn from the past about managing local resources, and the circular economy of our ancestors.