Where
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
What
A purpose-built museum and the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse (the Scottish mainland's first lighthouse when it was constructed in 1787 from a 16th-century castle keep). Artefacts donated by the public and Northern Lighthouse Board
Opened
1995
Collection
Glass lenses and machinery used for coastal navigation dating to the 1800s. Lighting technology and social history artefacts covering the lives of lighthouse keepers and their families
Help at hand
Nine staff and six in the cafe, two volunteers
Budget
£206,000 per year, £129,000 from Aberdeenshire Council
Annual visits
14,240
Awards
2007 achieved Recognition status from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Museums Council for its "uniqueness, authenticity and comprehensiveness, and national value of their collection."
Survival tip
James Oliver, assistant manager, guide and former lighthouse keeper, says: "You never give up. It is the dedication of staff that makes these places work. Be passionate about the subject."
Highlight
Opening by Princess Margaret in 1995
Sticky moment
"Numbers do fluctuate," Oliver says. "At times we do struggle, especially if we want to promote something new."
Current project
Last year a £25,000 HLF grant provided an audiovisual room with a new film about fishing and lighthouses. "There's a romantic idea of how lighthouse operators lived. They are seen as living in remote areas of beauty with sunrise and sunsets. People forget about the storms. It was a hard life that was very strict because it had to be. We show how it really was in the displays. It wasn't all sugar and jam."
www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
What
A purpose-built museum and the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse (the Scottish mainland's first lighthouse when it was constructed in 1787 from a 16th-century castle keep). Artefacts donated by the public and Northern Lighthouse Board
Opened
1995
Collection
Glass lenses and machinery used for coastal navigation dating to the 1800s. Lighting technology and social history artefacts covering the lives of lighthouse keepers and their families
Help at hand
Nine staff and six in the cafe, two volunteers
Budget
£206,000 per year, £129,000 from Aberdeenshire Council
Annual visits
14,240
Awards
2007 achieved Recognition status from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Museums Council for its "uniqueness, authenticity and comprehensiveness, and national value of their collection."
Survival tip
James Oliver, assistant manager, guide and former lighthouse keeper, says: "You never give up. It is the dedication of staff that makes these places work. Be passionate about the subject."
Highlight
Opening by Princess Margaret in 1995
Sticky moment
"Numbers do fluctuate," Oliver says. "At times we do struggle, especially if we want to promote something new."
Current project
Last year a £25,000 HLF grant provided an audiovisual room with a new film about fishing and lighthouses. "There's a romantic idea of how lighthouse operators lived. They are seen as living in remote areas of beauty with sunrise and sunsets. People forget about the storms. It was a hard life that was very strict because it had to be. We show how it really was in the displays. It wasn't all sugar and jam."
www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk
