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Biggar & Upper Clydesdale Museum
156 High St
Biggar, ML12 6DH

Biggar Museum Trust SCIO, a registered charity in Scotland. Charity number: SC003695

Tel: 01899 221 050 Support Us
 
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Museum

Biggar Museum’s collections explore 14,000 years of rural and small-town life in Biggar and Upper Clydesdale.

They explore the area’s rich archaeological, social and historic heritage and focus on the people who have lived and worked here from prehistoric times up to the mid-20th century. The many objects on display illuminate a small part of their ordinary and extraordinary lives.

In addition to the museum galleries, the building encompasses an archive room, stores, shop and a separate area for temporary exhibitions.

 

Main Collection

The Land & People

Is Tinto Hill a volcano? At 707 meters high Tinto hill is a well-known landmark in South Lanarkshire. The red, hard rock called Felsite that is often used to form Lanarkshire’s roads is also found near the top of Tinto’s summit.

Main Collection

Scotland’s Earliest People

The oldest open-air site in Scotland was discovered by archaeologists in Howburn, near Biggar. It dates to the last phases of the last glacial period, the Devensian Epoch, and provides insight into the lives of Late Upper Palaeolithic hunters

Main Collection

Neolithic Farmers

Neolithic Farmers made & used a variety of tools including arrowheads which were fixed to the end of a shaft & fired from long narrow bows.

Main Collection

Copper Age & Bronze Age Inhabitants

The skeleton of “Thankerton Man” was found in a stone cist – a type of burial chamber – at Boatbridge Quarry, Thankerton, South Lanarkshire, in 1970.

Main Collection

Iron Age & Medieval Settlements

As the name implies, the Iron Age saw the gradual introduction of iron working technology, although the general adoption of iron artefacts did not become widespread until after 500-400 BCE.

Main Collection

Biggar and the House of Fleming

The House of Fleming were a local family of rank and influence who occupied a prominent place in the Biggar district. One of their homes was Boghall Castle (an excellent, detailed model of which is displayed in the museum).

Main Collection

Seventeenth Century Upland Farmers

Bastle houses (fortified farmhouses) are a fascinating historic feature of the borders area and were used by farmers to provide security against border reivers (raiders).

Main Collection

Rural Life in the 19th Century

If you’ve ever looked into your family history, chances are at some point you’ll have come across some of your ancestors that worked the land.

Main Collection

Religious Protesters

The Covenanters were opposed to the religious policies of Charles 1 (1625 – 1649) and Charles II (1660 – 1685), it was the interference of both these monarchs with the Church of Scotland’s independence that the Covenanters objected to.

Main Collection

Crimean Heroes

During the Crimean War which raged for three years from 1853 – 1856, Britain fought alongside France, Sardinia and Turkey against Russia.

Main Collection

Polish Soldiers

During WWII, many Polish troops were evacuated to Scotland. In the summer of 1940 several thousand soldiers were sent to Biggar and surrounds to train to fight against Nazi Germany. One such training area was Tinto hill.

Main Collection

Gladstone Court Streetscape

Walk the streets and explore the shops of Gladstone Court, in an amazing interactive experience that recreates the sights and sounds of a bustling Victorian High Street.

Behind the Scenes

A little like a swan, most of the activity within the museum is unseen by the public.

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