Opening Times for 2013
Mon - Sat: 10–5
Sunday: 12–5

Timespan Museum is the starting point on a journey through the colourful historical themes of the area.  It provides the visitor with a wealth of information about past ways of life and some of the more turbulent events in Sutherland’s history.  It combines local stories and folklore from the past and present with a multi-faceted collection of objects spanning thousands of years.

The museum’s illustrated timeline will amaze visitors with its Worldwide and Helmsdale facts.  The visitor will be keen to explore the heritage of the area from prehistory with a tantalizing insight into the lives of the enigmatic Picts and their beautiful carved stones, to the time of the Clearances at the start of the nineteenth century, when thousands of people were removed from their homes in the Strath of Kildonan to make way for large sheep farms.  The rise and fall of the fishing industry at Helmsdale is explored through the roles of the men and women who followed the herring shoals each year.  Find out more about the largest salmon caught on the River Helmsdale and the celebrated Kildonan Gold Rush of 1869.

The museum’s storytelling room has a selection of five animated films about the areas myths, legends and superstitions.  The younger visitors can meet our own last wolf and find out why Helmsdale fishermen were so superstitious!  Transport yourself back to the time of the Vikings with the story of Frakkok, learn about the tale of two dogs and what life was like living in a croft in Gartymore.

The museum’s reconstructed croft, byre, smithy, and shop from 150 years ago capture many aspects of a way of life – now long gone.  Each reconstruction has its own audio narrative including a Gaelic lullaby and recollections about one of Helmsdale’s best loved blacksmiths.

The visitor can enjoy an audio tour of the museum with additional informative material on each area.  The younger museum visitors can enjoy quizzes and puzzles and a selection of replica objects.

Visitors to the museum can access further information on any of the displays in the Timespan community archive.

Visitors at the Museum