This weekend the 1st and 2nd of september 2018 across Scotland over 1000 buildings will be open and free to enter, including several in Dumfries and Galloway. Many of these buildings are 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 some of the buildings taking part this year. There are talks, tours, heritage trails and plenty more events for all ages. All the programmes can be found at www.doorsopendays.org.uk.
Dumfries and Galloways Open Doors include
Theatre Royal, Dumfries
Open Saturday 1st September (10am-4pm) and Sunday 2nd September (2pm-4pm)
Built in 1792, the Theatre Royal Dumfries is the oldest theatre in Scotland still in operation today.
It has had a long and storied history and has attracted many famous visitors including Robert Burns and J. M. Barrie and Stan Laurel. The building has also seen use as a music hall, a cinema and very briefly, a roller skating rink.
It was restored by the Guild of Players in 1959 and has been operating as a theatre again ever since. The most recent refurbishment of the building has seen an expansion into other sites on Shakespeare Street and Queen Street. While the auditorium remains largely the same, the building now also boasts a new bar and Studio, as well as much improved backstage facilities.
For Doors Open Days, There will be free guided tours of the theatre, including backstage areas. These tours will last 30 minutes and will run every half an hour, with a maximum of 15 people. There will be opportunities to talk to heads of department about Guild activities and ongoing volunteer work.
There will also be a small exhibition on the history of the building.
The Whithorn Roundhouse, Whithorn Trust ( main image)
Open 1st September, 4pm-7pm
The Whithorn Roundhouse was completed in 2017, based on information derived from a nearby archaeological dig. However, The Whithorn roundhouse continues to develop as we learn more about life in Galloway’s middle Iron Age: For example, this year archaeologists uncovered a decorated wooden bowl, the only one of its type known in the British Isles and a turned spindle, perhaps part of a loom.
For Doors Open Days, Guides will be on duty at the roundhouse and there will be an opportunity to turn wood using a pole lathe.
At the Visitor Centre, there will additionally be screenings of young people’s films about memories of Whithorn : films were made during July 2018, including interviews with older residents and new perspectives on Whithorn’s main street.
Dunscore Heritage Centre
Open Saturday 1st September (10am-5pm) and Sunday 2nd September (11:30am-5pm)
Newly opened this year, the Heritage Centre houses a touch-screen interactive display, photos and articles about the church and village history as well as local lass Jane Haining. You can take the short Memory Trail round the village and find out where Robert Burns opened a library for the local people and see one of the last hearse houses in Scotland.
There is a fascinating self-guided tour of the church including the architectural features, font from the original church, carved stone from the 1649 church all in a recently refurbished building. Alternatively, earn a Dunscore Detective sticker by completing the children’s tour.
Keep some time to find out about local Hero of the Holocaust, Jane Haining who was born in Dunscore and worked as a matron in a school for girls in Budapest before and during the second world war. Having refused to leave her charges (some of whom were Jews), she was taken to Auschwitz where she died. You can see films and information about her life, her Hero of the Holocaust medal and some of her possessions.
On Saturday 1 September at 2:00 pm, there will be a talk in the church about our local Hero of the Holocaust, Jane Haining.
On Sunday 2 September at 2:00 pm, there will be a guided walk round the village Memory Trail including the site of the library started by Robert Burns, the Hearse House and the Auschwitz Oak.
Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura
Open Saturday 1st September (10am-5pm) and Sunday 2nd September (2pm-5pm)
Dumfries Museum is a treasure house of history in Dumfries and Galloway, telling the story of the land and people of the region. Look out for fossil footprints left by prehistoric animals, the wildlife of the Solway, tools and weapons of our earliest people, stone carvings by Scotland’s first Christians and the everyday things of the Victorian farm, workshop and home.
The windmill tower, converted into an observatory in 1836, houses the world’s oldest camera obscura.
For Doors Open Days, there will be free camera obscura presentations. Please note that camera obscura presentations are weather dependent and restricted to 15 people per session.
You will also have the chance to meet the “Master of Revels” and discover how people had fun in the past with medieval toys, music and storytelling. Find out how these compare with the 20th century toys in our Fun and Games exhibition. There will be something for all ages to enjoy. This will take place from 10am – 1pm and 2 – 5pm on Saturday 1 September, and from 2 – 5pm on Sunday 2 September.
Doors Open Days is coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust. It is part of European Heritage Days alongside Scottish Archaeology Month, which is coordinated by Archaeology Scotland. Both Doors Open Days and Scottish Archaeology Month are supported by Historic Environment Scotland. Doors Open Days 2018 is sponsored by Aberdeen Standard Investments and RIAS’s Festival of Architecture 2018.
Area coordinators create and manage local programmes and work for a variety of local authorities, civic trusts and heritage organisations.
Susan O’Connor, Director of the Scottish Civic Trust, said, “Doors Open Day is a fantastic opportunity for communities up and down the country to show off the best of their buildings. We’re thrilled with the range of architectural wonders on display this year and we can’t wait to enjoy as many sites as possible.”
Thomas Knowles, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Historic Environment Scotland is proud to support the annual Doors Open Day initiative as it ticks all the right boxes for projects we consider for grant funding. Not only does the initiative share our values to promote public access to the historic environment, but it also delivers benefits for communities like driving visitation to, and developing knowledge about, properties and places not open year-round.”
