AGM Reports 2010

Directors’ Report for the Year 2009 - 2010

Principal Activities
The purpose of the Museum is to preserve and display the Pictish sculpture collected within Ross and Cromarty along with other items of historical interest from the Black Isle and to develop, preserve and promote the George Bain Collection.

Company Board
Groam House Museum is a Private Company Limited by Guarantee and a Scottish Charity. The Company is managed by a Board of Directors. At the forthcoming AGM Stuart Tickner and Su Wompra will retire by rotation but are pleased to offer themselves for re-election.

Accounts for the year to 31st March 2010
As at 31st March 2010 we report a reduced surplus of unrestricted funds of £3,868 which reflects the rising costs incurred in running the museum and the continuing difficult trading conditions. We remain indebted to Highland Council for their Grant of £14, 561 towards running costs.

We are also indebted to Cilla Bodger, Liz Broxton and Valerie Southern whose highly professional and imaginative management of the Museum Shop led to sales in excess of £21,000 – a most praiseworthy result in these times of considerable economic difficulty. The vigilance of the Treasurer, Stuart Tickner and the ceaseless pursuit of Grants by the Curator, Susan Seright and Administrator, Alastair Morton have done much to make the most of our available funds which were boosted by some £900 by the Mick Aston Lecture last October. The Gift Aid scheme helps us maximise the value of Membership subscriptions and donations.

Volunteers
As ever, very many grateful thanks are due to all our Volunteers, Attendants in the museum and those who work behind the scenes, and, in particular, Su Wompra, Volunteer Co-ordinator, assisted by Val Southern and Evelyn Topp and Valerie Geddes, efficient Minutes Secretary. Volunteers enjoyed the Christmas Coffee Morning, the Summer Party in the Museum and an autumn outing to Pictavia, St Vigeans and Meigle. Visitors to the Museum always comment on how much they enjoy the friendly and helpful welcome. This is borne out by our renewed Visit Scotland 4-star rating and increasing visitor numbers in person and on-line. Membership is managed most effectively by Hamish Keir.

Curator
Susan Seright is to be congratulated on the originality and beauty of the George Bain, Games & Gatherings exhibition, marking Highland Homecoming 2009, and on the customary excellence and variety of the Lecture Programme. Please see especially the Developing the George Bain Collection section in her report.

Newsletter and Website (www.groamhouse.org.uk)
We are most grateful to Hamish Keir, Newsletter Editor and Alastair Morton, Webmaster for top quality input.

Management & Charitable Objectives for 2009- 2010
The Directors plan to increase the number of Volunteers and Directors and enhance their training. Energetic steps will be taken to raise new revenue funds and to develop and share our collections to maximum effect. A vigorous campaign is being mounted against the Highland Council’s proposed grant aid cut which threatens our very existence. To help fulfil our charitable objectives we plan new grant-aided educational and outreach programmes to the benefit of the local and wider communities both youthful and adult.

Barbara Cohen,
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Groam House Museum
 

Curator’s Report April 2009-March 2010

1 Collections
1.1 Acquisitions
The following new items were accessioned for GHM’s collection: items marked CC were bought through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures initiative enabling us to Develop the George Bain Collection.
Items with a financial contribution from the National Fund for Acquisitions are marked NFA.
As part of the Bain project, we aim to set him within the context of the Celtic Revival; therefore purchases will not be limited to Bain-related items alone.

1.1.1 Purchases
a. CC: Brass tray by Alexander Ritchie of Iona
b. CC/NFA: A ‘Hunting’ rug designed by George Bain
c. CC/NFA:
i. wooden table carved with Celtic interlacing and birds probably carved by Alexander Ritchie of Iona;
ii. silver two-piece buckle with pierced flower heads by Ritchie;
iii. brass & leather blotter attributed to Ritchie;
iv. silver annular/ring-brooch with Celtic design by Ritchie;
v. silver penannular brooch by Ritchie;
vi. circular silver and blue enamel Celtic ship brooch by Ritchie;
vii. silver sword letter-opener by Ritchie;
viii. brass wall clock with Celtic decorated face, pendulum and weights probably by Ian MacCormick;
ix. pair of small brass pin dishes marked IMC;
x. stylised silver ship brooch by Ian MacCormick;
xi. leatherwork bridge score card cover with Pictish-style tooling;
xii. silver and blue enamel knot brooch by WH Derby;
xiii. silver sugar spoon from a Ritchie design.
d. CC:
i. silver kiltpin by Ian MacCormick;
ii. Silver dolphin bracelet by John Hart;
iii. Silver penannular brooch by Ritchie;
iv. Silver ring with dolphin by Dawson Bowman;
v. Silver penannular brooch.
e. CC: Silver ‘Tara’ brooch by Ritchie.
f. CC: Silver letter opener by John Hart.
g. CC: Silver letter opener by William Robb.
h. CC:
i. Silver tea spoon by Ian MacCormick;
ii. Silver ‘Prioress Anna’ teaspoons boxed.
i. CC: The Heart is Highland, booklet cover designed by Bain.
j. CC: A Braid o Thristles book of poems by Douglas Young, illustrated by Bain.
k. CC:
i. Embroidered blotter, possibly by Euphemia Ritchie,
ii. Silver brooch by Dawson Bowman,
iii. Silver tea caddy spoon, Highland Home Industries.
l. CC:
i. Wendy Wood Celtic watercolour;
ii. Framed sheet of Celtic Revival illuminations.
m. CC: ‘Hunting’ carpet designed by Bain.
n. CC/NFA: 64 watercolours by Bain of Macedonia/Salonika made during WW1.

1.1.2 Donations:
a. Chirsty Henderson and Sarah Pringle (George Bain’s grand-daughters) made a large donation of wonderful, miscellaneous material to GHM. The donation included the sketches of Drumnadrochit in GHM’s George Bain - Games & Gatherings exhibition. The bulk of this donation is original works of art on paper, dating from 1890s, together with a paper archive which includes letters and photographs.
b. Scotland’s Highlands & Islands Today, booklet cover designed by Bain.
c. 3 Celtic Art Method of Construction booklets, written by Bain.
d. Collection of miscellaneous papers relating to MacLellan Publishers and George Bain.
e. Pewter cross by Dawson Bowman.
f. Found under the floor during renovation at Angel Court (one of the oldest houses in Fortrose) one shoe and a cylindrical wine bottle with a seal.
g. A book bought at Rosehaugh sale (1954) with enclosed illustration of Rosehaugh House;
h. Modern copies of miscellaneous papers relating to George Bain and his rug commissions from Quayle and Tranter, Kidderminster.
i. Donation of a ruby ground ‘Hunting’ rug by George Bain.
j. Nigg Celtic Plate designed by Nexus Design No 1000 of 1000.
k. 2 booklets by GB plus collection of papers and cards (total 8 items).
l. An Arab Turk, etching by Bain.
m. Silver penannular brooch.
n. 6 Presentation Cups from the Black Isle Horticultural Society together with associated archive material.

1.1.3 Treasure Trove
The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel recommended to the Queens & Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer the allocation of Treasure Trove no 111/09 to GHM. (Fortrose Co-Op site excavation). Material yet to be received.

1.2 Documentation
Trained volunteers Su Wompra, Tony Leggatt and Hilary Richmond carried out ongoing museum documentation.

1.3 Conservation
We have commissioned a conservation survey by Scottish Conservation Studio of objects relating to GHM’s Bain project. We will take action on the recommendations of the survey.

1.4 Storage
Storage equipment (i.e. plan chest and shelving) was purchased through HLF, Museums Galleries Scotland and GHM funding.

2 Services
2.1.1 GHM achieved the targets set within the Highland Council Service Level Agreement for 2009/10.
2.1.2 Visitor Figures
7095 (compared with 6753 last year over the same period).
2.1.3 School Visits
Strathpeffer Primary School visited the museum and borrowed the loans boxes. Volunteer Megan Stubbs is involved with promoting GHM loans boxes and visits by schools.
2.1.4 Group Visits
7 unarranged groups (c. 159 individuals) visited GHM but recording figures accurately is difficult.

2.2 Exhibitions
2.2.1 The new exhibition opened on 1 May 2009 George Bain – Games & Gatherings featured items borrowed from the Bain family as well as a recent acquisition of a Piping medal from New Zealand originally designed by George Bain and still in use. The exhibition closed on 14 April 2010.
2.2.2 A partnership between GHM and ARCH (Archaeology for Highland Communities in the Highlands) resulted in ARCH (led by Cait McCullagh) and the local community preparing the exhibition for 2010-11; Dr William MacLean a forgotten collector, his sites and finds. Loans from the MacLean collection within National Museums Scotland were arranged. GHM was awarded funding from The Russell Trust, Robert Kiln Charitable Trust and Inverness Field Club to pay for additional professional research into the artefacts. This was carried out at NMS by Julia Gerken and Alan Braby. We are grateful to Trevor Cowie of NMS who gave his time and assisted throughout the creation of this exhibition.

2.3 Talks & outreach
June 26 Annual Academic Lecture Pict Apart: unity and division among the Picts, 650-850 by
Dr James Fraser, Lecturer in Early Scottish History and Culture, University of Edinburgh;
July 16 Townships, timber and trees in the late-medieval Highlands by Dr Alasdair Ross, Lecturer in History, Research Centre for Environmental History, University of Stirling; August 27 New Discoveries of early medieval sculpture at St Vigeans by Dr Jane Geddes, Senior Lecturer, History of Art, Aberdeen University; September 10 Discovering the real Robinson Crusoe – excavations on a Pacific Island by Dr David Caldwell, Keeper of Scotland and Europe, National Museums Scotland; October 27 The Making of Time Team by Professor Mick Aston, Emeritus Professor at Bristol University and Honorary Visiting Professor at Durham and Exeter Universities.
Total number of attendees: 317.
2.4 Public Enquiries
18 public enquiries requiring research were completed by the Curator.

3 Developments
3.1.1 Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures initiative
Alastair Morton, our part-time administrator funded through our Bain HLF project, continued to undertake non-curatorial duties to enable the curator to concentrate on the Bain project.
3.1.2 Following a successful interview, Wendy Sanders was appointed Public Programme Co-ordinator for the Bain project. We have worked together on a proposed plan of exhibitions to the Central Belt and outwith during 2011-12 and Wendy is busy making applications for funding this Public Programme. We are working with partners National Galleries Scotland, Glasgow Museums and Historic Scotland; dates and venues are yet to be confirmed and settled.
3.1.3 Wendy and I attended the Drumnadrochit Highland Gathering and Games to advertise local interest in our Oral history project based in Drumnadrochit, established with partners within The Highland Council. Over autumn/winter 2009 training was provided and interviews conducted. The end results will be available in Drumnadrochit Library, The Highland Council Archive and GHM.

3.2 Grants
3.2.1 The Highland Council Service Level Agreements were again attained by GHM to secure their partial funding.
3.2.2 Alastair Morton in his role as administrator continued to pull together a number of grant-aid applications to various bodies seeking additional funding.

3.3 Training
3.3.1 I attended a 1:1 training course in mount-cutting and paper conservation.
3.3.2 Together with Su Wompra, Alastair Morton and Tony Leggatt I attended a training course in paper conservation given by Scottish Conservation Studio’s Helen Creasy, held in GHM office.
3.3.3 A small group of volunteers and myself, were trained in Oral History techniques by Gordon Urquhart
3.3.4 On 2 September a group of 19 members and volunteers enjoyed the GHM Field Trip to the newly refurbished St Vigeans Museum and Meigle Museum, we lunched at Pictavia.
3.3.5 I held two ‘refresher’ training courses for existing volunteers.
3.3.6 I held a training course on Rosemarkie’s sculpture for new volunteers.

3.4 Trading
Out of print Academic Lecture titles are on GHM’s web site, available as a free download.

3.5 Visit Scotland
I am delighted that GHM was successful in retaining our 4* grading. Congratulations in particular to Ruth James and all the volunteer assistants for their excellent work.

4 Networking
4.1 I attended the Elgin Conference Birnie, Beakers and Bones.
4.2 I attended the Society of Antiquities of Scotland Conference the Traprain Law Treasure, this was a particularly good opportunity to discuss the Bain project with various speakers and academics.
4.3 An opportunity arose for GHM’s collection of local photographs to be digitised free of charge and appear on Am Baile’s website www.ambaile.org.uk, they will be available in the near future.

5 Miscellaneous
I would like to thank all the volunteers for the time, help and support that they have given to me individually, as well as to GHM. We all recognise that this museum would not function without the good will of so many able volunteers. In particular, Stuart Tickner our Treasurer, Eric Grant for his ongoing input to the Bain Project, Su Wompra and Val Southern our Volunteer Coordinators; Liz Broxton, Cilla Bodger and Val Southern the shop team who work hard to keep the shop looking so good; Eric Allan for continuing to collate our Visitor Survey Information; the documentation team consisting of Su Wompra (again), Tony Leggatt, and Hilary Richmond; Alastair Morton for assisting in the office paid and unpaid and Barbara Cohen our Chairman for being so supportive together with other members of the Board of Directors – all of whom aid me in my role as Curator.

Susan E Seright

4 May 2010