The Black Watch Castle and Museum

We're thrilled to share that we won the Excellence in Customer Service Award on Friday night at Crief Hydro! This recognition is a testament to our team's dedication to providing exceptional experiences for our visitors, whether in the museum, conducting research, visiting the bistro, gift shop, or our events. A huge thank you to our incredible staff, volunteers, and, of course, our wonderful visitors for your continued support. We are proud to represent Perthshire with this achievement and look forward to continuing to deliver outstanding service. #CustomerService #Award #BWMuseum #ThankYou #theblackwatch #TheBlackWatchRegiment Perthshire Chamber of Commerce

🌟 We're thrilled to share that Madeline Greene, our Learning and Audience Officer, has won the Rising Star category at the ASVA Scottish Inspiring People Awards! Her passion, dedication, and innovative work in community engagement and education truly inspire us. From collaborating with local schools to creating engaging learning experiences that bring the history of The Black Watch to life, Madeline has made a remarkable impact. Congratulations, Madeline, on this well- deserved recognition we couldn't be prouder! #ASVAAwards #RisingStar #TheBlackWatch

Exciting News! 🎉 We’re thrilled to announce that Madeline Greene, our Learning and Audience Officer, has been named a finalist in the Rising Star category of the 2024 Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards! 🌟 ASVA : Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions. Madeline’s innovative work has made a remarkable impact, from collaboration with Perth Grammar, DYW, and MGS on a comic book that brings Black Watch history to life for students, to revitalising our school trip programs and expanding resources for learners and volunteers alike. Her dedication and creativity inspire us daily! We’re honoured to be celebrating her accomplishments at the ASVA Annual Conference on November 14th. #RisingStar #InspiringPeopleAwards #BWMuseum #ASVA #TheBlackWatch #Museum #ASVAConference2024 Michael Golding

Every few years, we conduct a collection review to ensure our items are in good condition, stored appropriately, and accurately recorded. One key task during this process is updating records to meet the standards set by organisations like ICOM and SPECTRUM. Given that many museums began collecting over a century ago, some records can be incomplete. Conducting a collection review allows us to identify and improve these records. Recently, Ginat Salman, our collection assistant, discovered a lovely collection of bayonets that had been accessioned as a single piece. To improve our records, each bayonet was individually catalogued, cleaned, stamps deciphered and researched, ensuring they each received the proper care and documentation. The bayonets pictured were primarily produced in the late 19th century and used during that period and the First World War. #Museum #Collections #TheBlackWatch #Military

Behind the Scenes at The Black Watch Museum! Our dedicated Museums and Collections Assistant, Ginat Salman, is carefully handling and putting away some of the items that we have on display in our current exhibition. We're gearing up for an exciting transformation as we prepare for our new exhibition that will be opening in May 2024! #BehindTheScenes #NewExhibition #TheBlackWatch #BlackWatchRegiment #MilitaryHistory #Museum #ComingSoon

We wish to introduce our New Library that is now available to visit at The Black Watch Castle and Museum. For the past four months, Ginat Salman, our collections assistant, has been working with one of our Volunteers, Evelyn, on establishing a new library for the public's welfare in the Balhousie Castle complex. The library, located in the Waterloo Room on the ground floor, houses books of all types and fields with a focus on British military history and the Black Watch Regiment history in particular. Every book went through our collections department and was carefully selected for the library. We invite you to visit The Black Watch Museum, order coffee from the Bistro, and relax in the library with a good book. What are you going to read in our library? #WorldBookDay #library #books #MilitaryHistory #BlackWatch #history #heritage

Oliver Topel our Project Archivist was currently working through photographs from the collection of Christopher Gerald Stephen, a Black Watch Colonel who served in both the First and Second World War. His son Michael also served in The Black Watch and was Adjutant to his father for a time during the 1940s. When Ollie is preparing a catalogue, he needs to sort the records into logical groups and arrange them chronologically. He will look for any clues in the photographs and annotations on the back to find out when, where, and why they were taken. Organisation is also very important in order to keep track of how many items we have and number them individually so that they can be located and easily identified. Once sorted, these photographs will be added to a catalogued collection for Stephen, which is published online via The National Archives. Organising our collections into catalogues makes it much easier for people to find what they’re looking for and understand what records we have relating to a particular soldier. Because they’re made available online and published at a national level, researchers anywhere can discover our catalogues and learn more about what we have in our archive. The photographs you can see were taken in 1935, at the celebrations for King George V’s Silver Jubilee in Perth. A large parade was held at Muirton Park, former home of St. Johnstone FC, and the photographs also show how the occasion was marked at The Black Watch Depot. #Archive #MilitaryHistory #TheBlackWatch #MilitaryHeritage #history

Meet our dedicated collections assistant, Ginat Salman, who in this photo is helping to preserve a metal trunk that belonged to Captain Alfred Parker. From thorough examinations to careful cleaning, every item undergoes a detailed process to ensure that each item is free from contaminants before joining our collection. Our collections assistant took meticulous care to ensure its preservation, wearing protective gear and using specific tools to delicately clean the trunk. She used a vacuum with net shielding to protect it from potential textile damage. She also used a brush to help facilitate the restoration of the material, a vital step, especially for items with diverse materials, such as the velvet lining of this trunk We believe Captain Alfred Parker's metal trunk, comprising two compartments, would have stored his valuables and accompanied him to various locations where he would have been stationed. The lower compartment would have been used to store weapons, while the upper compartment would have kept his uniforms. One of the responsibilities of the Collections Assistant is to diligently ensure the best storage, maintenance, and protection of the items against pests, mould, and diseases. Their primary role is to secure and ensure all the items and artefacts will be preserved for years.