Museum Development
Dalerb
The Scottish Crannog Centre will be building a new museum located at the site of Dalerb on the North side of Loch Tay. This land was purchased through community asset transfer in 2021, and the Crannog is currently in the process of planning the development. The loss of the Crannog reconstruction has expedited the need to move the operation to the site of Dalerb, and the intention is to be open Spring 2023 .
The Aim of The Scottish Crannog Centre
The Aim of The Scottish Crannog Centre at Dalerb is to be the most sustainable museum in Scotland. The SCC’s Sustainability is built around 4 areas.
Being Nature Positive – Belonging in and caring for our landscape.
Being a Special Place – for people to visit and support us.
Being a Trusted Partner – That individuals and organisations want to work with and alongside.
Being a Place of People and Communities – Where people can work and grow.
The Crannog Centre’s vision is to be a national treasure loved by all with social justice at its heart. A special place that engages entertains and informs visitors from far and wide about the lives of the communities that lived and used the crannogs of the past.
We would like to thank everyone that has supported the museum. through the recent fire and pandemic. The Just Giving campaign can be followed here: www.justgiving.com/campaign/crannog
Why Dalerb?
The current site is too small to manage our expanding team and offer. We have purchased the land at Dalerb through community asset transfer. The application was successful and the Crannog Centre bought the land on which we intend to build for £1.00. The cost was decided by the CAT process as the benefit that the new museum would provide was seen as invaluable.
Dalerb not only lends itself topographically to the construction of a Crannog, It also has within eyesight the site of Mary’s Distaff, a Crannog of suspected prehistoric origins. The SIte is large enough to allow not only for the expansion of the interpretation of life 2500 years ago on Loch Tay but also provide a space and venue for a cafe to accommodate the guests as well as evening activities like acoustic music events and space for reflection upon visiting the site and learning about the ancestors of Loch Tay.
Delivery of meaningful community engagement projects and the implementation of sustainable working methods and practices.
Delivery of our vision to become a National Museum.
Creation of mutually beneficial partnerships with our local communities, schools, other visitor attractions, social support and care networks and other social justice organisations, to deliver integrated, meaningful and co-produced projects.
Continuation of our Fair Work ethic. This has already seen us awarded with Disability Confident Employer status and our vision is to become a Disability Confident Leader. We have also been accredited with the Real Living Wage Scotland Initiative and we are committed to the Young Persons Guarantee framework.
Continuation of our employment and training programmes, including HES craft fellowships, SVQ apprenticeships, apprenticeships for young people with additional support needs, and employment programmes for long-term unemployed people.
Embracing abundance. Our organisation is embedded with diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe that abundance is always on the outside of an organisation and that a diverse workforce connects better to diverse audiences. We operate a diverse leadership model which enables freedom of self and creativity.
What will the new Museum be like?
A new visitor centre, with a museum to showcase our fabulous and internationally significant archaeological collections, an Iron Age-inspired village of craft and technology demonstrations, and the first of three expert-led, but community-built, crannogs. *
Implementation of a circular economy model including the creation of a permaculture forest garden, and the installation of micro-hubs for local start-up businesses.
As part of our partnership with Forestry Land Scotland (FLS), provision of interpretation and sustainable management of Drummond Hill, Scotland’s oldest managed woodland, which sits behind the Dalerb site. Drummond Hill will provide us with raw materials for our Iron Age village, Bronze Age round house and three crannogs. Along with the forest garden, the cleared land will also be used for hazel coppice, green woodworking and craft fellowship training courses and apprenticeships.
Continuation of our Green Initiatives agenda, which includes a shift to paperless marketing, the incorporation of sustainable solutions to the climate and biodiversity emergency, and the implementation of a methodology for measuring and reducing our carbon output.
Improvements to, and expansion of, our meaningful volunteer programme. Since 2019 our volunteer community has steadily grown and has nurtured family and individual involvement. We support up to 20 undergraduates and overseas students annually with quality placements and internships. One of our regular volunteers and a founding member of the Crannog Community, Rena, says: Volunteering at the Crannog is something I look forward to every time. Not only have I learned so much about a time in our history I knew next to nothing about, there is a wonderful spirit of community, not just among the staff and volunteers, but it also extends to and envelops the visitors, creating such an enjoyable experience for both sides.
The Scottish Crannog Centre is proudly supported by:
