Historian set to lead Crieff talk

Next week, a Perth historian will be leading an illustrated talk on the history of Perth and Kinross.

In 2019, Dr Nicola Small was part of the team behind the ‘Jacobite Clans’ exhibition at Perth Museum and Art Gallery, which was inspired by the anniversary of the Battle of Killiecrankie.

Many of the visitors to the exhibition said the highlight of the exhibition was the wealth of local stories that were included.

Now on Wednesday, March 11, Dr Small will be giving a talk in Crieff former town hall, where she will be sharing how these stories were collected, and discuss how important they are to Perth and Kinross’ history.

The stories in the exhibition came from local people and demonstrated the various ways big national events like the Jacobite rebellions had a real impact on Perthshire’s noble families and rural communities.

Dr Small will also be taking time during the talk to explain her current role as a research and interpretation officer at Culture Perth and Kinross, working on the new Perth City Hall Museum, and will give an insight into how the new museum will look.

Part of her talk will include how the new permanent galleries have been shaped by the architecture of the redeveloped city hall and by Perth and Kinross’ recognised collection of national significance to tell the region’s story.

She said: “Our recent exhibitions, especially ‘Jacobite Clans’ last summer, have shown us what fantastic local stories are out there in Perth and Kinross.

“I hope that people hearing about how we worked on that exhibition and finding out more about the new galleries will feel excited about the stories we’d like to tell at Perth City Hall.”

The former town hall, where the talk will take place, is on the site of the Crieff Tollbooth.

The tollbooth was built in 1665 to house the steward court of Strathearn, where those condemned to Crieff’s ‘kind gallows’ were sentenced.

By the 1800s, it had become the location for town council meetings and police courts, and was then demolished in 1842, with the current town hall being constructed in 1850.

Dr Small’s talk, ‘ Your city hall museum - celebrating the stories of Perth and Kinross’, is free to enter.