Doors Open Days programme a 'glorious opportunity' to discover Wick's heritage
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The Wick Society's participation in the annual Doors Open Days programme has been described as a "glorious opportunity" for local people to find out more about their heritage.
The 2021 event went ahead on Sunday with free entry to Wick Heritage Museum as well as the nearby Cowie's building, which has been transformed into a storage area for the voluntary organisation's extensive collection of artefacts.
Coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust, the Doors Open Days programme celebrates heritage and the built environment at venues across the country each September.
The museum in Bank Row features many displays about Wick's herring industry and a new feature is a set of fishermen’s ganseys.
Next door, in the refurbished Cowie’s building, a series of huge county survey maps from 1949 were on show along with a selection of large-format photographs from the Johnston collection.
Board member Ian Leith said: "The Wick Society has participated in Doors Open Days now for three or four years. It's organised centrally by the Scottish Civic Trust, of which the Wick Society are members, so we obviously want to be part of that programme.
“I think it's a glorious opportunity for people that are not sure about coming into the museum. Being on a Sunday allows maybe more local people to have an opportunity to come, and this year we are able to offer them the whole museum plus Cowie's building. The huge maps have generated a lot of interest.
“We would hopefully be keen to participate in Doors Open Days again in the future.”
Wick Society chairman Donald Henderson was welcoming visitors to Cowie's building. “I'm delighted to see folk coming in and using this building," he said.
“We just don't have the room in the museum for all these photographs so it's fine to get them out on display.”
One visitor to the museum on Sunday had a particular interest in the display cases containing Caithness Glass items.
Bob Miller worked at the glass factory 18 years, as a furnaceman and latterly as finished products manager, until it closed in 2004. He spoke of the great camaraderie among the workforce.
“It brings back so many memories," Mr Miller said. "In a way it's heartbreaking for everybody that worked in the place because we didn't want it to close.
“It was hard, hard work but they were a great team of workers. Everybody was gutted that it closed.”
Following the success of Doors Open Days’ first digital festival in 2020, the 2021 event had both online and in-person events and activities around Scotland.
