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Kilmartin Area

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Kilmartin Museum project is next for Scots architects


Reiach and Hall, one of Scotland's leading contemporary architectural practices, has won the commission to design the £3 million museum housing some of the country's oldest known artefacts.

The Kilmartin Museum in Argyll, near the site of Dunadd hill fort, seat of the first recorded kingdom in Scotland, is to be transformed, with new museum and gallery spaces, an education centre, a café and expanded storage areas.


The commission follows the Edinburgh firm's success in securing the contract for the new Bannockburn visitor centre, a £9.1m project funded by the National Trust for Scotland in partnership with Historic Scotland, due to open next year. Acclaimed recent commissions include the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney and Forth Valley College in Stirling.

Dr Sharon Webb, director of the Kilmartin Museum, said: "We are a victim of our own success - our archaeological collections have grown hugely over the last 10 years and we need more space to care for them and ensure people can enjoy and understand them."

David Anderson, senior associate at Reiach and Hall, said: "What makes the job interesting is working with passionate clients who care very deeply about what they do.

"Neolithic Orkney is very well known, but Kilmartin, where pieces of pottery have been found that pre-date anything found at Stonehenge, is now coming into the spotlight."

Kilmartin Glen in mid-Argyll, 90 miles west of Glasgow, contains more than 800 historic and prehistoric monuments, cairns, standing stones, stone circles and rock art, some dating back 5000 years.


http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/kilmartin-museum-project-is-next-for-scots-architects.22522406
moss Posted by moss
30th October 2013ce

Comments (7)

Sounds good - another excuse to go and visit the fantastic Kilmartin area. If you have never had the pleasure this is a place not to be missed.
It is certainly up there with Avebury / Orkney area.
Posted by CARL
30th October 2013ce
I completely agree. I HAD been under the impression that the museum was under the cosh because of lack of funding though! I hope that when the building complex is complete money is found to fund ongoing running costs.
The other thought is that they'll probably discover new features/artifacts on the extended site!
Posted by tomatoman
30th October 2013ce
Don't arrive in the Kilmartin Centre Cafe at 1.55pm and ask for a bowl of soup from the tureen. We were told "Its coffees teas and scones/ biscuits after 2pm". I pointed out it wasn't quite 2pm and that we'd travelled a long way. The person behind the counter then ladled out two bowls of soup from the brimming tureen for herself and her pal and walked away to a nearby table.
If you are going to the Kilmartin Centre Cafe bring a flask of soup, your own sandwiches and be prepared to elbow staff out of the way in order to sit down at a table.
You remember these things. People leave an impression.
Howburn Digger Posted by Howburn Digger
1st November 2013ce
I love the Kilmartin Museum Cafe! I hope they don't ponce it up. Emma A Posted by Emma A
1st November 2013ce
To be quite honest, when I look through the news, museums are closing down everywhere - broke... So it is surprising such a large sum of money is on the table. But to quote the Kilmartin Museum website;

"Following the well attended community consultation in September, plans by architects Reiach and Hall are currently on display in the Museum cafe.

We hope to have some images ready soon to post online. Also coming soon is our development blog providing regular updates on how the project is progessing.
In the meantime, come and take a look at the plans and let us know what you think."

So I will keep an eye on it, the other newly refurbished centre is Hengistbury Head visitor centre, not sure if I put it on TMA..
moss Posted by moss
2nd November 2013ce
When I visited the museum recently there was a sign saying that it was hoped the new (larger) museum will be up and running by 2018. I hope they don't spoil the place by becoming too big. We don't want another Stonehenge on our hands! Posted by CARL
1st August 2015ce
Well I doubt that, it's a long way up to Scotland but of course worth making for Kilmartin.... moss Posted by moss
2nd August 2015ce
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