Caithness mill arts plan gets £430k boost
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A BID to turn a historic Caithness grain store and corn mill into a £4 million cultural and residential hub for the performing arts has received a boost with the award of a £430,080 grant from the Scottish Government.
The money – part of a total allocation of £1.2 million given to six projects by Historic Scotland – will be used to stabilise and repair the early 18th-century Ham Girnal.
It is expected the work will start next September and be completed in March 2014.
The building is currently owned by former Caithness and Sutherland MP Lord Maclennan but will transfer to the charitable arts trust, North Highland Connections, when the project is finished.
NHC executive officer Dr Graham Elliott was delighted with the grant and said it was “the first major funding” for what he described as “a very ambitious set of plans”.
He hopes the money will act as a catalyst and help with the remaining fundraising for the development.
Dr Elliott explained the plan is to use the Ham building as a residential study centre for the visual and performing arts.
The enterprise will involve a number of partners, including five from Scandinavian countries as they have close cultural connections with Caithness.
Two other local arts initiatives are also being considered as part of what Dr Elliott called “a triumvirate of cultural hubs”, although no further details can be disclosed at the moment.
A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said the Ham project would boost cultural opportunities at the site and help it develop its tourism potential.
She described the building as “one of the most impressive of its type in the north Highlands” but said the roof – notable for the survival of its traditional flagstones – is in a poor state and urgently requires bracing.
The Scottish Historic Buildings Trust will be involved in the project and will be overseeing the repair work.
A spokeswoman for the Edinburgh-based organisation told the John O’Groat Journal it is expected to cost around £4 million to transform the mill into a centre for the performing arts.
Bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland, the Scottish Rural Development Fund and charitable trusts are likely to be approached for financial assistance, she said.
The chairman of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, John Campbell QC, said: “We are very pleased to have the opportunity of working on the Girnal at Ham and are delighted that Historic Scotland’s financial assistance will start to make the project possible. The building is a unique survivor of a particular Caithness vernacular style and its use as a public building will be very welcome in the years to come.”
Cabinet secretary for culture and external affairs Fiona Hyslop announced the funding for Ham Girnal as part of the £1.2 million package to six Scottish projects through Historic Scotland’s Building Repair Grants Scheme.
She said: “This grant will help secure the future of a unique building. Our heritage lies at the heart of our identity and contributes substantially to our reputation at home and abroad.
“In tough economic times, maintaining our historic environment ensures valuable sites such as Ham Girnal will continue to play a key role in their communities, from helping to maintain skills and jobs in the traditional building trades through to maximising their cultural potential.”
