Angus Folk Museum

The Angus Folk Museum explores life in rural Angus during the past 200 years, holding a collection of over 500 artefacts. The Museum is housed in a row of eighteenth century cottages with a Steading and farm buildings opposite, the majority of visitors cannot fail to be 'touched' by the wealth of the past that there is to see and contemplate.

The Museum does not discriminate and there is no uniform message to be drawn from what people find there. As such the Museum makes an ideal educational resource which can be used formally and informally.

In the most formal sense the Museum is an effective resource at Primary, Secondary and Tertiary level. Primary children can discover how we used to live in a fun, touchable way, and can compare it to their own way of life. A visit can take a broad overview or focus on areas such as science and technology. At secondary level the broad picture of social and industrial/rural change can be explored and again focus can be made. From tertiary level onwards the focus made can be more dramatic and the Museum can act as a resource for Architecture, Modern History, and Language.

Angus Folk Museum has its own unique qualities, possessing a distinct charm. Its setting and ambience inspire visitors, as do the agricultural guides, many of whom have 'worked' the land. They bring the Museum to life with human stories that are not too far removed from our own hopes and fears and experiences of life. In fact for many visitors the Museum ignites forgotten and distant memories or a sudden interest in family roots. The majority of visitors have not had ancestors that have sat on a throne. However, many can recall that they or their parents have used a butter churn.

To stop and think is, arguably, a natural consequence of visiting the Museum. For many a visit can encourage, if only for a fleeting moment, a reassessment of skills, crafts and beliefs and fundamentally our own lives. Are we better off now? In what ways were we better off then? Of course there will be visitors who walk untouched through the Museum, impressed by the sheer size of the collection if nothing else. However for many it is a way of relating to their past, exchanging ideas with each other or the guides on duty. Every visitor for example can relate in some way to the school room which is a special favourite. The belt or 'tawse' is of some fascination and the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of corporal punishment is a common one in the museum.

The past is there to be drawn and learned from, to perhaps in some way explain the present and help us shape the future. One of the roles of the Museum is to inspire such thoughts and enquiries and to make people explore and question. It may only be for the duration of their visit, or indeed a fleeting moment, but if they wish to delve further, the tools are there, waiting to be used.

For information about making a visit to Angus Folk Museum or for further details about the Museum, please contact the Property Manager on: 01307 840288

Should you wish to bring an educational group to an NTS property it is essential that you contact the Property Manager in advance to make arrangements.

Click here to download a printable booking form (PDF format).

Click here to download a printable property information leaflet giving details on the educational potential of the property (PDF format).

Should you require a free visit to help plan excursion, please contact the Property Manager in advance.

To view and print the forms, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have it you may download it here.