Coulters Candy

I guess that’s what stepping back in time does – it reminds you of all sorts of childhood memories. This week the open air, Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore certainly achieved that for me, when we re-visited to catch up on the Croft and Village sections we missed on our last visit.

Aultarie Croft

This is a croft that still has animals on it. The three Highland Cattle were hiding – all we could see were the top of their horns but I’ve captured some of the other livestock.

The farmhouse area incorporates 3 different items. Its main front room has been interpreted as a late 1930s living room. The room across from it has been transformed into a wee sweetie shop, called Kirk’s Store. And yes, you can buy sweets there. They even had a tub of Coulter’s Candy – so of course, I had to buy some. The Coulter’s Candy song (you may know it as Ally Bally, or Ally Bally Bee) then circulated in my head all day. It was written by Robert Coltart (1832 – 1880), a Galashiels weaver, to help market his sweeties. And there I was thinking marketing was a modern phenomenon. There are many versions of the song but I’ve included a link below for the version by Donovan.

White goat lying on a small wooden bench — White goat

a white goat lying on a small bench next to a black and white goats standing on the bench — Goats on the bench

Ducks dozing under a green building — Dozing birds

Black hen with shining luminescent green plumage — Hen - with stunning luminescent plumage

A stone farmhouse building with a wooden post office as a lean-too against the house — Farmhouse and Post Office

There are loads of things to see in this area.

But don’t just look at the outside of the buildings, when you go inside it really is stepping back in time – but strangely familiar.

Inside the railway waiting room with trunks stacked and a wooden chair — Inside the railway waiting room

Old travellers home waiting to be restored

Inside the garage at the croft, with an old tractor, an old road sign to Ferness and lots of tools — The garage at the croft

L-shaped farm building made up of several different rooms — Farm buildings

Inside the Tin Cottage, a bed in the corner with curtains round it, a small table and chairs — Inside the Tin Cottage

1930s wooden panelled best room of the Tin cottage. With a small table, record player and 2 chairs with a wooden dresser on the right — 1930s Best Room of the Tin Cottage

a group of several stones, each with a square base and flat circular top, known as Stackle Stones — The Stachle Stones

Inside the dairy with a red and white covered table with clappers on it, and in the background a milk churn — Inside the dairy

Balameanach Village

Bunches of marram grass waiting to be put onto a roof

a blackhouse surrounded by scaffolding with a wooden loomshed behind — The Blackhouse and Loom Shed

One and a half storey wooden house, called Lochanhully House — Lochanhully House

Once you get back to the Shepherd’s Bothy and Fank you then start picking up the buildings that make up the village – Balameanach. Do spend some time going inside these as they are a real glimpse into the not too distant past. Remember, if you were born in the 1950s or 1960s then you will have probably seen, if not used, some of the items in the interpretations. Even if you were born more recently all the items will be really familiar.

Highland Cottage is one of the buildings I find most interesting. At one end of the site there’s the 1700s township whereas at the other end of the site are buildings from the 20th century. This wee cottage sits at the middle of the site, quite near the entrance, and represents the transition from turf dwellings to stone build houses. This building represents buildings from the early 1800s.

inside the old cottage, flagstone floor and white washed walls very basic chairs and a bench - all wooden — Inside the Old Cottage

Ordinary People

Like many other villages of the time it wasn’t just made up of houses but would have had a wealth of other activities from industry, craftspeople, a school and church. These have also been included in the museum by the restoration of buildings, and their contents, from all over the Highlands.

It’s just as I was writing this blog that I realised what it is that I really like about this museum. It represents the life of ordinary Highlanders from the past which means that many of the items are really familiar – whether that’s an old tractor, or a kitchen storage unit, a 1950s clock or even a tub of Coulter’s Candy. I never tasted Coulter’s Candy as a bairn but I knew the song and that’s the memory that was triggered.