Northern museums to collaborate
on study of use of peat, turf and stone
By Brian Flett
(From The Orcadian dated October 11, 2001)

Norwegian curators' visit heralds start of closer working links

The Norwegian curators visiting the Orkney Museum at Tankerness House.

A group of museum curators from Orkney's twin county of Hordaland in Norway have spent almost a week seeing how museums and local heritage are presented and managed in the county.

Members of the Hordaland Museums Association, led by Ms Bjørg Christophersen, say that they have been amazed by the number of people employed in the museums service in Orkney, although there is a greater concentration of historical sites.

Mr Ole Mikal Olsen, who is museums officer at the Horda Museum just south of Bergen, which is responsible for the area in the middle and north of Hordaland County, explained: "I can think of an island within Hordaland which has a similar population to Orkney, about 20,000, which has a single museum and one person employed full-time to look after it. I know that Orkney is so rich in archaeological and historical sites, that it is very difficult to compare. I also feel that Orkney is unique. I have seen most of the monuments here on previous visits. But personally I was very interested in seeing the organisation of heritage and museums in Orkney, and how many people are employed.

"I feel that the way in which they present each monument, with information boards, is very good. It is also interesting to see the number of historical books about Orkney. I think we can learn a lot from that. I took the initiative and asked my colleagues back in 1998 if they would like to visit Orkney. It has taken until now to make it happen."

Bjorg Christophersen, who is an ethnologist, has been to Orkney once before in 1993, with a party of students from the University of Bergen.

She felt that the Hordaland area could learn quite a few lessons from the Orkney museums service.

She remarked: "it is good to see that you have found your own solutions for dealing with and presenting heritage here. For example I thought it was good to see how school pupils and others were able to "learn by doing" at Corrigall Farm Museum, because it can be difficult for people nowadays to imagine how things were done a century ago. We have enjoyed our Orkney visit very much, and we hope that people from the museums service here can come back to visit us in Hordaland in the future."

Ole Mikal Olsen from the Horda Museum reinforced Ms Christophersen's comments about the success of the visit.

"We have really enjoyed ourselves, and we have been so well taken care of by Steve Callaghan (OIC heritage officer) and the museum staff here. We are enthusiastic to come back."

Mr Olsen added: "The next stage in the exchange of information will be that the Orkney Museum, Horda Museum, a museum in County Mayo, Ireland, another in the Faeroe Islands and in Iceland are collaborating on a project focusing on the vernacular use of traditional materials such as turf, peat and stone in buildings of the North East Atlantic This will result in exhibition 2003 in the different areas involved and books about the findings of the study."

Steve Callaghan, explained: "The study of vernacular building materials is a project we hope will attract European funding.

"On this week's visit, the Hordaland delegates were very keen to see how heritage is managed in Orkney, including our links with the voluntary sector. It's very much been a study tour and not a holiday. We've kept to a hectic schedule of visits.

"They've seen Corrigall and Kirbuster Farm Museums, Skara Brae, Skaill House, Stromness Museum, the Standing Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe, the Orkney Museum, the Earl's and Bishop's Palaces the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre at Lyness, Melsetter House, St Magnus Cathedral, The Churchill Barriers, and the Italian Chapel.

"They have been entertained by the Orkney Norway Friendship Association and a drinks reception by Orkney Islands Council, and informal gatherings like the music and storytelling evening at the Ayre Hotel with Hullion and Tom Muir from the museums service, and the candlelight supper at Kirbuster Farm Museum with fish soup and here bannocks with music from Hadhirgaan. They also enjoyed a free dram at Highland Park Distillery before they left."