The Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection
(a resource for the community)
The collection is a voluntary organisation that promotes the
history of the East Neuk town of Anstruther.
It is registered under the Scottish Charities Office (24532) for
tax purposes and actively engages in fundraising activities to
further it's work. Funding comes from a variety of sources
and we have been fortunate over the past two years to receive
two awards from the National Lottery Awards
For All scheme.
The nucleus of the Burgh Collection was formed by the Anstruther
Improvement Association Archive Collection (AIA), which in turn
had its birth in the 1980 Triple Town Exhibition. This referred
to the full name of the Burgh, "The Royal Burgh of Kilrenny,
Anstruther Easter & Anstruther Wester". For this exhibition
many photographs and archives of past celebrations, gatherings,
societies and significant events were displayed and great public
interest was aroused. At the end of the Exhibition it was felt
that such a collection should be retained and enlarged. In 1981
committee member and local historian Dr Stephanie Stevenson appealed
in the press for old photographs, letters and documents so that
an Archive Collection could be established, with Dr Stevenson
as Archivist.
The Scottish Fisheries Museum generously offered a room. The
Provost's robes, the Seals of Kilrenny and Anstruther and the
1826 Weights and Measures were displayed to the public together
with archival material. A donation of £1,000 from the Dalziel
Trust allowed us to furnish the room and produce four volumes
of photographs collected by Dr Stevenson in which People, Burgh,
Harbour and Activities were displayed. The Burgh Room was officially
opened in May 1986.
With the expansion and development of the Scottish
Fisheries Museum it was realised that another home would have
to be found. The AIA felt unable to undertake the responsibility
of housing the collection and displaying the archives. There was
a real danger that the material would have to be dispersed throughout
the area.
After a public meeting it was decided in April 1992 that a new
organisation should be set up, entitled "The Kilrenny &
Anstruther Burgh Collection - A Resource for the Community".
The subtitle was indicative of the hope that the Archives could
be used as an educational resource, especially for the young people
of the community. The links between the Kilrenny and Anstruther
Burgh Collection and the AIA still remain close.
Since then we have made great progress. We are well established
with rented rooms in the Murray Library as an administrative base
and for recording and storing our archives. From a small beginning
we now have a computer and are on the internet! Our first exhibition
was held in 1993 on the 150th anniversary of the Disruption and
of Dr Thomas Chalmers' place
in it. It was held in the Hew Scott Hall. It was a great local
success, receiving some national publicity and attracting visitors
to the Burgh. Since then we have held regular exhibitions, celebrating
the VE and VJ Days anniversaries. These included a model of the
atomic bomb explosion and of the bomb that fell on Cellardyke.
Displays of photographs taken by Mr William Flett recording people
and events in the Burgh have been particularly successful. In
the view of his invaluable assistance to the Collection since
its inception, Mr Flett was made our first honorary member of
the Kilrenny ad Anstruther Burgh Collection.
The collection has expanded considerably since the early days
and now possesses a wide range of old photographs, account books
and items that are connected with the town. These are now
being catalogued to provide a clearer view of the size and form
of the collection to aid the mounting of exhibitions and to provide
material for publications. Currently, the collection
has approximately 50 members with a committee meeting regularly
on a monthly basis. There is a strong awareness of our community
and there is active involvement with schools in the area recording
the reminisces of the more senior members. Regular exhibitions
also raise awareness of the collection.
We welcome questions on any aspects of Anstruther history and
will do our best to provide and answer. We can be contacted
by e-mail to anstruther.collection@virgin.net
If you would like to join the Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection
our annual membership is just £5 or £10 for joint membership.
Please e-mail us for more details.
The Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection
can be contacted by e-mailing us at anstruther.collection@virgin.net
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