Argyll and isles feature in 50th Doors Open Days
THE 50th national Doors Open Days was launched on Friday last week at the Botanic Cottage at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the Scottish Civic Trust invited 50 leading writers, artists, architects and academics to nominate their favourite door.
And a number of famous doors in Argyll and the islands featured in the final list.
All over Scotland, more than 1,000 buildings will be open and free to enter this month, many of them not normally open to the public and some opening for the first time. Castles, churches, mosques, museums, fire stations, offices, theatres and even a distillery are just some of the buildings taken part this year.
Among the celebrities’ favourite doors, historian Vanessa Collingridge nominated Kilmartin Museum; Lynn Davies went for St Oran’s Chapel on the Isle of Iona; Professor Tom Devine opted for the door to Iona Abbey; Gaelic singer Anne Martin nominated the door to Ostaig House at Sleat on the Isle of Skye; Danny MacAskill chose the Colbost Folk Museum, also on Skye; and Craig Stanford, an archaeologist on St Kilda, perhaps unsurprisingly given his professional interest, nominated the door to house number 12, The Street, St Kilda.
As part of this year’s Doors Open Days, there are talks, tours, heritage trails and plenty more events for all ages. All the programmes can be found at www.doorsopendays.org.uk.
John Pelan, director of the Scottish Civic Trust, explained: ‘Doors Open Days continues to be one of Scotland’s most popular and successful attractions.
‘Every September, tens of thousands of people are given the opportunity to get inside buildings and learn something new. It appeals to all ages. We are very grateful for the support of Historic Environment Scotland, Aberdeen Standard Investments and the Festival of Architecture 2017.
‘We were delighted to launch the 2017 programme at the Botanic Cottage, winner of the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards earlier this year.’
Claire Drummond, head of Charitable Giving for the Aberdeen Charitable Foundation, said: ‘Every year the list of participating venues grows, making Doors Open Day a fantastic opportunity for people to take a closer look at buildings that they may well be familiar with, perhaps passing every day, but may never have seen inside.
‘From mosques to masonic halls, prisons to lifeboat stations, Doors Open Days offers insights that cast a new light on the nation’s buildings and shared spaces, and interesting days out too.
‘We’re proud to support the Scottish Civic Trust and wish Doors Open Days 2017 every success.’
Simon Milne MBE, regius keeper at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh said: ‘Entering the Botanic Cottage is walking into the past, present and future in one step.
‘This beautiful and remarkable building of the Enlightenment, a celebrated centre for pioneering botanical teaching, has been painstakingly reconstructed and now provides an inspirational space for education and the community.
‘Its historic and welcoming interior and great facilities help people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with plants and to learn about and enjoy our natural environment. It is a real pleasure to welcome the Scottish Civic Trust to the cottage for this celebration of our country’s heritage.’
Doors Open Days is co-ordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust and is part of European Heritage Days alongside Scottish Archaeology Month, co-ordinated by Archaeology Scotland. Both are supported by Historic Environment Scotland. Doors Open Days 2017 is also supported by Aberdeen Standard Investments Ltd and Festival of Architecture 2017.
Area co-ordinators create and manage local programmes and work for a variety of local authorities, civic trusts and heritage organisations.