The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Museum to breathe new life into old Brora schoolhouse
Building will be transformed after £1 million investment
An old schoolhouse in Brora will be given a new lease of life as a museum with the help of an energy firm and a local history society.
Whilst developing Gordonbush wind farm, Scottish and Southern Energy purchased the Old Schoolhouse on Distillery Road and its grounds to allow components to be delivered to the 35-turbine wind farm safely.
Now SSE is honouring a commitment to give the site to Clyne Heritage Society, along with an investment of £1 million to help the society
“The society is delighted and very grateful to receive this £1m”
restore the building. The £1m will be used by Clyne Heritage Society to transform the Old Schoolhouse into a museum, complete with coffee shop, offering a place for locals and tourists to find out more about the history of the area.
Rod Crawford, SSE’s project manager, said: “The Old Schoolhouse played an important role in our development of Gordonbush wind farm and now we are thrilled to be able to play an incredibly important role in the restoration of the site and create a lasting legacy for the area. We hope that our donation of £1m will allow Clyne Heritage Society to create a community hub that will bring the history of the area to life for the locals and tourists.”
Dr Nick Lindsay, chairman of Clyne Heritage Society, said: “The society is just delighted and very grateful to receive this £1m from SSE, which has been a long time in negotiation, but has now arrived.
“I was always confident though, that through the excellent relationship which we established at an early stage with Rod Crawford, we would eventually see this momentous day.
“We are 20 years old this month – what a brilliant birthday present.
“With this £1m, the society is in an extremely strong position to be able to go to funders, for any shortfall, once we have fully costed the renovation and fitting out project.
“With our track record of increasing footfall and heritage awareness at the Brora Heritage Centre for the past two years, we now have a really good understanding of how to deliver a first-class heritage service, from what will be a purpose-designed facility, excellently situated on the A9,” added Dr Lindsay.