Want to know what goes on behind closed doors?
There is a chance next month (September) to explore more than 30 buildings in The Highland Council area, which are not normally open to the public. As part of the annual National Doors Open Days event, a range of fascinating buildings – old and new - including stately homes, state-of-the-art medical facilities and historic churches will be opening their doors to visitors on Saturdays 5, 12 and 19 September.
Managed nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust, with support from Historic Scotland, the event is co-ordinated locally by The Highland Council and Inverness City Heritage Trust, and offers free access to buildings that you never normally get a chance to explore.
Historic buildings opening their doors for the event include the UHI Executive Office, Inverness, built as an infirmary in 1799, where UHI staff work in the former wards; Cromarty House, an imposing Georgian mansion built in 1772; and Inverness Sheriff Court, where modern law courts operate on the site of Inverness’s medieval castle.
You can also explore a range of historic churches in Inverness, and across the area, from Edderton Old Parish Church, built in 1743 and recently re-designated by Historic Scotland as “A-listed” (of national or international importance); to St Clements’ Parish Church, Dingwall, where you can discover the remains of the old parish church of 1510 and Daviot Church, a landmark on the A9 with its distinctive cockerel weather vane.
Doors Open Days is also about showcasing the most interesting modern architecture. Inverness’s striking Maggie’s Centre, designed by award winning architects Page/Park will be open, and special tours will be available at the recently completed Centre for Health Science, a multi-user facility located adjacent to Raigmore Hospital which incorporates state-of-the-art facilities and is one of the first of its kind in the UK. Modern, environmentally sustainable buildings also feature, such as Glachbeg Croft Centre, North Kessock. For something completely different, you can explore Inchindown Oil Storage Tanks in Easter Ross, a large complex of tunnels, excavated from the solid rock, which was built to store the precious oil required to fuel the Royal Navy during World War Two, go behind the scenes at BBC Scotland in Inverness or learn about the night sky at Highland Astronomical Society’s JSL Observatory at Culloden.
Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of the Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee, said “We are really happy to support this annual event across the Highlands, especially in this Year of Homecoming . As well as allowing visitors into some of the oldest buildings in the Highlands, we are really pleased that visitors will be able to see round some of the more exciting and innovative new buildings, potentially our historic buildings of the future. The event hopefully has something for everyone and is an excellent opportunity to get to see what really goes on in the buildings that you pass every day. Each year, we try and attract new buildings to the event and are always looking for suggestions of new or interesting things to open. We would like to thank Inverness City Heritage Trust, our organising partners, and, of course, all the building owners and managers who have opened their doors and made this event possible.”
The full Door Open Day programme is now available here (PDF, 481 Kb) or contact 01463 718505 to request a printed programme.
Ends
For further information, please contact Alison Tanner, Inverness City Heritage Trust on 01463 724384, email Alison.tanner@highland.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Doors Open Days is a national event, forming part of European Heritage Days. Local property openings and events are organised by civic societies, local authorities, amenity societies, museums, and owners and managers of buildings. It is coordinated and managed nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust, with support from Historic Scotland. The directory of events will be available online from early August and is regularly updated with breaking stories and new events.
1. http://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/ is the national website where area dates and highlights can be found.
2. 2008 in numbers: 29 out of 32 local authority areas saw Doors Open Days events running; over 226,000 visits were recorded, equating to over 67,000 individuals; Doors Open Days generates £2million for the economy; more than 4,500 working days (roughly 18 years) were spent by 5,400 volunteers organising open days and events. Figures are based on a survey of more than 1650 visitors and 375 event organisers.
3. The Scottish Civic Trust was founded in 1967 and is Scotland’s only voluntary organisation working to raise the quality of the whole built environment. We encourage excellence in the conservation of the past, in contemporary architecture and planning and in effective public education and participation in all these concerns. It is the umbrella body for civic societies across Scotland, representing many individuals committed to improving and caring for places where people live and work. http://www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk/
4. Doors Open Days and Scottish Archaeology Month (www.scottisharchaeologymonth.org.uk) form part of the wider European Heritage Days initiative, which sees around 20 million people in 49 countries access ancient heritage and modern architecture for free. http://www.ehd.coe.int/ For information about SAM please contact Mags McCartney, Archaeology Scotland, 0845 872 3333, m.mccartney@scottisharchaeology.org.uk
5. Doors Open Days is supported by Scottish Ministers through their Executive Agency Historic Scotland.
6. Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the National Events Agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the National Tourism Agency.
7. Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to motivate people of Scottish descent, as well as those who simply love Scotland, to come home in 2009 and take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world. 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, with the programme’s design guided by Scotland’s unique position as the home of Burns himself, golf, whisky, great minds and innovations, rich culture and heritage and as the ancestral home of millions of people of Scots descent worldwide.
8. For more information on Homecoming Scotland please visit www.homecomingscotland2009.com or contact Gayle Wilson, PR Manager on 0131 472 2067.
9. Doors Open Days is supported by EventScotland. EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit http://www.eventscotland.org/