Renfrew, situated between the Clyde and Cart rivers, was once known for its shipyards and as the home for the main Glasgow airport until the 1960s. A new museum has been created to share this rich history and capture and celebrate the stories of the town’s residents today.
The museum is part of the modernisation of the town hall and has developed from Renfrew Museum. The aim has been to build on existing community ties and ensure the inclusion of multiple voices. The museum is free to visit and consists of a small introductory display space in the building foyer and one main exhibition room.
An opening text panel explains what visitors can expect: “Throughout the museum you will find out what it was like to live in Renfrew in the past and today. You can learn what makes Renfrew special, both for the people who live here and for the rest of the world.”
The foyer display features a time capsule from 1872. The large glass jar containing photographs, newspapers and documents signed by the then provost was uncovered during the refurbishment of the town hall.
It must have been a welcome gift for the curators; a perfect example of the importance of preserving local history, where fresh discoveries and different voices add to and enhance community collections and bring the past to life.
This serendipity has been used to great advantage to spark the imagination of local schoolchildren and involve them in creating their own capsule. It is a fantastic way to engage children with objects and to teach them how important museums can be in celebrating the past and looking to the future.
Local memories
Community content continues to feature strongly with two audio booths that immediately introduce local voices. There are some intriguing stories, which will spark memories and new insights for residents. However, as a visitor to the town, I would have liked some more information.
A map or some photographs would have helped to illustrate the areas that people discussed. For me, the audio worked most effectively when it related to the museum and the collections, offering a more personal connection and insight into the objects. Two of the oral histories piqued my interest for what was to come in the main gallery.
Anne McGuiness hinted at the grandeur of Renfrew airport when revealing the autographs she collected, which included the Beatles. Eric Welsh recalled a favourite object from his school – a small life-like elephant.
Well behaved children were allowed to pull the tail of the model, which triggered the sound of the animal trumpet. His reminiscences left me genuinely interested in discovering the object itself, bringing it to life in a way that no label could have.
Elemental approach
The main exhibition is based around earth, air, fire and water, themes that lend themselves well to the history of Renfrew. The fire theme covers the town’s fame for innovation in heavy engineering. The water section focuses on the Clyde and Renfrew’s history of dredger building to supply worldwide markets. Air looks at Renfrew airport, once the second busiest airport in the UK.
Each of these three sections has a very clear key message that demonstrates Renfrew’s influence worldwide. Unfortunately, the simplicity and clarity of the narrative is lost slightly in the earth display. The earth section includes important artefacts discovered in the area, local people’s precious objects, sport and leisure, war, and law and order.
But, as is often the case, a simple premise has become a bit muddled by trying to include too much. Many of the earth displays merit further exploration, but they compete against each other in such a small space. A number of displays were rich enough to have a sole focus.
Renfrew was home to the Royal Stewarts, for example, and there have been a number of important archaeological discoveries in the local area. But overall, the use of the air, fire, water and earth themes is an inspired idea and allows for each section to be read separately.
The sections are clearly colour coded and the exhibition design features cylindrical surfaces that create an interesting space to navigate and allow for groups to gather around cases. There are also fantastic objects in the museum, from coins dating from the 13th century to a scale model of Renfrew airport and a real Merlin engine from a Spitfire fighter.
The different audiences that visit the museum have clearly been considered and a variety of interpretation methods are used. Film footage, audio booths and labels feature archive material, curatorial content and information from Renfrew residents. This variety of content adds to the richness of the visitor experience.
Community involvement
The archive footage of Renfrew airport in its heyday is a particular highlight. The audio and film will also allow content to be changed easily, which is vital for a museum that depends on repeat visits. In the middle of the room there is a dedicated community case that will be programmed with local groups.
On my visit it was displaying postcards written by schoolchildren for inclusion in their time capsule. These sit alongside a display by local reminiscence group Renfrew Remembers, whose members share their memories of recently closed Moorpark School.
The two displays of future hopes and happy memories complement each other well. For a small local museum with a limited budget there has been an impressive amount of work carried out with local communities to capture their voices in the displays.
It is clear that this work is ongoing. The community case offers flexibility and the opportunity to engage more groups. Renfrew Museum has enough surprising and impressive facts to make the case for the global importance and impact of the area.
The museum will instil a sense of pride in local residents, while visitors to the area who stumble across it will be impressed by the notable history of this unassuming town.
Lyndsey Mackay is project curator for Curious, a community-led exhibition in St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, which celebrates the diversity of the people and collections of Glasgow
The museum is part of the modernisation of the town hall and has developed from Renfrew Museum. The aim has been to build on existing community ties and ensure the inclusion of multiple voices. The museum is free to visit and consists of a small introductory display space in the building foyer and one main exhibition room.
An opening text panel explains what visitors can expect: “Throughout the museum you will find out what it was like to live in Renfrew in the past and today. You can learn what makes Renfrew special, both for the people who live here and for the rest of the world.”
The foyer display features a time capsule from 1872. The large glass jar containing photographs, newspapers and documents signed by the then provost was uncovered during the refurbishment of the town hall.
It must have been a welcome gift for the curators; a perfect example of the importance of preserving local history, where fresh discoveries and different voices add to and enhance community collections and bring the past to life.
This serendipity has been used to great advantage to spark the imagination of local schoolchildren and involve them in creating their own capsule. It is a fantastic way to engage children with objects and to teach them how important museums can be in celebrating the past and looking to the future.
Local memories
Community content continues to feature strongly with two audio booths that immediately introduce local voices. There are some intriguing stories, which will spark memories and new insights for residents. However, as a visitor to the town, I would have liked some more information.
A map or some photographs would have helped to illustrate the areas that people discussed. For me, the audio worked most effectively when it related to the museum and the collections, offering a more personal connection and insight into the objects. Two of the oral histories piqued my interest for what was to come in the main gallery.
Anne McGuiness hinted at the grandeur of Renfrew airport when revealing the autographs she collected, which included the Beatles. Eric Welsh recalled a favourite object from his school – a small life-like elephant.
Well behaved children were allowed to pull the tail of the model, which triggered the sound of the animal trumpet. His reminiscences left me genuinely interested in discovering the object itself, bringing it to life in a way that no label could have.
Elemental approach
The main exhibition is based around earth, air, fire and water, themes that lend themselves well to the history of Renfrew. The fire theme covers the town’s fame for innovation in heavy engineering. The water section focuses on the Clyde and Renfrew’s history of dredger building to supply worldwide markets. Air looks at Renfrew airport, once the second busiest airport in the UK.
Each of these three sections has a very clear key message that demonstrates Renfrew’s influence worldwide. Unfortunately, the simplicity and clarity of the narrative is lost slightly in the earth display. The earth section includes important artefacts discovered in the area, local people’s precious objects, sport and leisure, war, and law and order.
But, as is often the case, a simple premise has become a bit muddled by trying to include too much. Many of the earth displays merit further exploration, but they compete against each other in such a small space. A number of displays were rich enough to have a sole focus.
Renfrew was home to the Royal Stewarts, for example, and there have been a number of important archaeological discoveries in the local area. But overall, the use of the air, fire, water and earth themes is an inspired idea and allows for each section to be read separately.
The sections are clearly colour coded and the exhibition design features cylindrical surfaces that create an interesting space to navigate and allow for groups to gather around cases. There are also fantastic objects in the museum, from coins dating from the 13th century to a scale model of Renfrew airport and a real Merlin engine from a Spitfire fighter.
The different audiences that visit the museum have clearly been considered and a variety of interpretation methods are used. Film footage, audio booths and labels feature archive material, curatorial content and information from Renfrew residents. This variety of content adds to the richness of the visitor experience.
Community involvement
The archive footage of Renfrew airport in its heyday is a particular highlight. The audio and film will also allow content to be changed easily, which is vital for a museum that depends on repeat visits. In the middle of the room there is a dedicated community case that will be programmed with local groups.
On my visit it was displaying postcards written by schoolchildren for inclusion in their time capsule. These sit alongside a display by local reminiscence group Renfrew Remembers, whose members share their memories of recently closed Moorpark School.
The two displays of future hopes and happy memories complement each other well. For a small local museum with a limited budget there has been an impressive amount of work carried out with local communities to capture their voices in the displays.
It is clear that this work is ongoing. The community case offers flexibility and the opportunity to engage more groups. Renfrew Museum has enough surprising and impressive facts to make the case for the global importance and impact of the area.
The museum will instil a sense of pride in local residents, while visitors to the area who stumble across it will be impressed by the notable history of this unassuming town.
Lyndsey Mackay is project curator for Curious, a community-led exhibition in St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, which celebrates the diversity of the people and collections of Glasgow
Project data
- Cost £126,000 (as part of £5.2m refurbishment of town hall)
- Funders Renfrewshire Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Braehead Shopping Centre £110,000
- Exhibition design and build RFA Design/Idess
- Case fronts ClickNetherfield
- Object mounts Colin Lindley
- Audiovisual equipment Pure AV
- Graphics Extreme
