Preserving the rich heritage of Alford and Donside for future generations

Welcome to our Newsletter! Explore what's next at Alford Heritage Museum—from upcoming exhibitions and concerts to fairs and workshops. We also look back on recent events that brought our community together. Stay connected with the past, present, and future.

Upcoming Events

End of Season Crank Up at Alford Heritage Museum-Sunday, 27th October

Join us as we celebrate the end of the season with our annual Crank Up event! Experience the power and charm of vintage stationary engines and steam machines as they roar back to life.

This event offers a unique opportunity to see these beautifully restored engines in action, providing a glimpse into the engineering marvels of the past.

Whether you're an enthusiast, a history buff, or just looking for a fascinating day out, this event is perfect for all ages. Don’t miss the chance to explore the museum, enjoy the demonstrations, and take in the sights and sounds of these classic machines.

Normal museum entry charges apply.
Further details from Thomas Jackson
tejboghead@gmail.com or 01464 861098 (evenings)
Stationary engine poster-1
Past Events

Hamewith Concerts – 26th and 27th September 2024

The Hamewith concerts are performed by local primary schoolchildren in memory of local poet Charles Murray. The concert dates for 2024 are Thursday 26th September and Friday 27th September at 7pm.
Admission is FREE. There will be a raffle and refreshments.

Children Reciting Poetry

Doors Open Days – 21st and 22nd September 2024

The museum will be participating in Doors Open Days again this year. There will be FREE entry to the museum on the 21st and 22nd of September between 10 and 4.
Pre-booking is not required. Refreshments will be on sale.

Doors Open Days 2024 Logo

Model Exhibition at Alford Heritage Museum - 15th September 2024

Step into a world of miniatures and marvel at the craftsmanship on display at our Model Exhibition! This special event will feature an impressive array of scale models. Perfect for hobbyists, families, and anyone with a love for intricate models, this exhibition promises to captivate. 


It's a fantastic opportunity to explore the museum and enjoy a unique afternoon dedicated to the art of miniatures.

Normal museum entry charges apply.
Further details from Thomas Jackson
tejboghead@gmail.com or 01464 861098 (evenings)
AHM Model Exhibition-1

Harvest Fair – Sunday 1st September 2024

fair

Come along to the mart field on Sunday 1st September for our Harvest Fair 11 – 3.

Adults £2.50 and children go free.

There will be a huge range of stalls and activities, from craft stalls and demonstrations to food vendors and burger and pizza vans. The kids can enjoy a bouncy castle and a vintage display.

There will be the opportunity to watch a blacksmith at work.

Concert by Allan Taylor and Friends 27 July 2024

There will be a Concert by Allan Taylor and Friends in the Museum on Thursday 27 July 7.30pm. Join us for an evening of Scottish Music and Song with local champion musicians and bothy ballad singers. The old mart auction ring provides a fitting setting for this event which celebrates the rich music tradition of the north east.

Allan Taylor

Stationary Engine Event 29th October 2023

A stationary engine event will take place on the 29th of October. More details to follow.

Engine

Alford Heritage Museum Vendor Booking for Harvest Festival Sunday 27 August 2023

Outdoor fair with stalls, community groups and other activities. 12 – 4. Stallholder details and booking now open at Alford & Donside Heritage Association – Art Tickets

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Tractor Run Sunday 11 June 2023

Come and view the collection of vintage and current tractors taking part in our annual tractor run. They will be leaving from the Museum in Mart Road at 11.00 but can be viewed from 10.15 onwards. The Museum itself will be open to visitors from 11.00 on that day.

Tractor in Field

Tractor drivers please pre-book to assist with catering by phoning 01464 861098 (evenings) or Send email. Please follow marshals’ instructions for parking and viewing.

Tractor Run Route
  • From the Heritage Museum down to Alford Main road turn left.
  • Turn left onto A980 (Banchory road) and follow to Muir of Fowlis. Turn right.
  • Follow that road to Glenkindie/Cushnie junction and turn right. Follow road through Cairncoullie, Mill of Brux to Knowehead. Turn left.
  • Follow road through Fichlie, and turn right towards Glenkindie.
  • Turn left over River Don and up to Towie.
  • Lunch at Towie Village Hall. The tractors can be viewed in the hall car park. Cars should be parked in the church car park. Tractors should arrive at Towie Hall 12.15-12.30pm.
  • After lunch, turn left out of car park and follow road to A97 (Dinnet Road) turn left and follow road to Tillypronie Lodge.
  • Turn left for Migvie and follow road to Tarland.
  • Turn left as you come into Tarland then right to come in down the square, (avoids blind corner at Bridge street) left onto B9119 then immediately right towards Coull.
  • Take left turn at crossroads and up to Queens View.
  • Follow B9119 to Corse Castle, turn left.
  • Cross 1st crossroads then right at next one (Bogend), down to Ladymill.
  • Cross A980, next left for Alford.
  • Right turn onto Kingsford Rd. then right onto Fraser Road and back to the museum.
  • Tractor Run Route Map

    Members’ and Supporters’ Evening Friday 19th May 2023 7.30pm

    All Friends, Community members and other supporters are invited to join us on Friday 19th May. We hope that you will take the opportunity to see what’s new around the museum, look at and comment upon some of the survey work currently being carried out by our architects LDN, and meet our volunteer team for some refreshments. A short AGM will take place during the evening.

    3D Model

    Talk – The Scottish Horse Plooman 1750-1950 Thursday 17 November 2022 at Tullynessle Hall 7.30pm

    Horse Historian, and retired museum curator Bob Powell will give an illustrated talk entitled “The Scottish Horse Plooman 1750-1950”. This will cover the change on the farm from ox ploughman to horse ploughman, followed by the culture associated with the “ploomen” from life in the bothy, the ‘Horsemen’s Word’, ploughing matches and “Lady Ploughers”, the effects of the World Wars and ultimately the demise of the farm horsemen. Tickets can be reserved online at Alford & Donside Heritage Association–Art Tickets or purchased from the Museum – open until 30 October. Tickets cost £6 (Friends of the Museum £5). Tickets also available on the door.

    Scottish Horse Plooman

    Stationary Engine Rally Sunday 30 October 2022

    End of Season Crankup. Come and view a selection of internal combustion engines from the last 100 years running and driving machinery. Sunday 30 October 12.00 – 4.00. Normal Museum admission charges apply and the museum will be open as usual.

    engine

    Harvest Festival Outdoor Market. Saturday 15 October 2022. 12-4



    Join us for our Harvest Festival on Saturday! We will have crafters, interactive display areas, storytelling, bottle stall, a model steam engine and threshing mill, a Clydesdale horse visiting, and lots of excellent local producers!

    Entry is £2 for the public, under 5’s are FREE.

    Vendor registration is still live for stallholder spaces! Contact: volunteers@alfordheritagemuseum.com

    Poster

    2022 Annual General Meeting

    The 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Alford and Donside Heritage Association will take place on Friday 7th October at 7.30 p.m at Alford Mens Shed. The AGM will be followed by a short talk by Moray artists Mary Bourne and Lynne Strachan on their two projects Art of Farming and Cabrach Reconnections. Refreshments will follow.

    Volunteers Wearing Masks

    Private: Platinum Jubilee Minis Morning

    Poster



    To celebrate the long weekend for the Platinum Jubilee we’ll be hosting a FREE celebration themed Minis Morning on Friday June 3rd with one session for pre-school children and one session for ages 5-8.

    Spaces are limited, to reserve a space for your child please contact volunteers@alfordheritagemuseum.com and you will be put on our event list.

    For the 5-8’s session children must still be accompanied by an adult.

    Private: Car Boot Sale – May 14 10-12

    Are you in the middle of spring cleaning? Been thinking it’s about time to start? Alford Heritage Museum is hosting a car boot sale from 10-12 on Saturday May 14th so it’s the perfect time to box up your unwanted goods!
    Spaces are £10 per car and can be booked through the link below. Car boot spaces are measured based on standard domestic vehicles, not commercial vans.

    If you wish to enquire about a larger space please contact us at volunteers@alfordheritagemuseum.com.
    May 15 10-12 in Museum Yard. Car boot spaces can be booked online at Alford & Donside Heritage Association – Art Tickets £10 per car.

    Car Boot Sale

    Mart building gains A Listed Status

    09 November 2021, 11:51 Press Release from Historic Environment Scotland
    Former cattle mart in Aberdeenshire recognised for its special historic interest

    Alford Heritage Museum has been awarded Category A listed status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in recognition of its special historic interest as a rare surviving example of an early 20th century livestock auction mart, and an important piece of Aberdeenshire’s rural and agricultural heritage.
    Opening in 1905, the Alford Auction Mart was built for and operated by Aberdeen cattle salesmen Reith and Anderson, the largest cattle firm in Aberdeenshire at that time. As regulations changed and livestock sales centralised in the years following the Second World War, small, rural livestock marts declined and the Alford Auction Mart closed in 1986 after 80 years of near-continuous operation.
    The site remains today as a largely complete and very rare example of a pre-1914 livestock mart of timber construction in Scotland, and is open to the public as a museum which aims to preserve the rural heritage of the north-east of Scotland.
    Dara Parsons, Head of Designations at HES, said: “Scotland has an incredibly rich and diverse built heritage, and listing is an important way of celebrating this history and ensuring that its value is recognised by future generations. “The Alford Heritage Museum is a welcome addition to the List. Only the most outstanding examples are given a category A listing, and in this case we have recognised the important contribution the former mart makes to our understanding and appreciation of agricultural life, economy and society in this part of Scotland during the 19th and 20th centuries.”
    Alison Kennedy, Trustee of Alford Heritage Museum, said: “While Trustees, volunteers and members of Alford Heritage Museum realised the importance of the former Alford Auction Mart building to the local community, the national significance has come as a huge surprise and we are overwhelmed and thrilled with the Category A listing awarded. “We would like to thank all at HES for their help in the listed building application and look forward to working with them in the future.” View the full designation report on the HES website.

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    About Alford Heritage Museum

    The old Aberdeen and Northern Marts building in Alford, Aberdeenshire has been in existence since 1905. As the local auction centre, it was a hub of activity for the village and the surrounding countryside. It was a place to buy, sell, meet people, exchange news and gossip. It was always the centre of comings and goings until 1986, when the Company that owned the building and land – Aberdeen and Northern Marts Ltd. – implemented a process of rationalising their operations.
    All local auction centres around the North East of Scotland were to be closed and centralised at a brand new centre in Inverurie. In this planned fate, the Alford Mart was to be sold off like all the others. Allegedly the land was earmarked to be used for a supermarket. Fortunately, a group of local farmers and enthusiasts were determined the Old Mart should survive for the benefit of the local community and after many meetings and fundraising events, the present Museum opened to the public on the 20th March 1991.

    The museum aims to preserve and educate people about the traditional way of life that the people of the North East lived for hundreds of years, a way of life that is now dying out due to globalisation.

    08/08/21 Stationary Engine Rally

    Sunday 8th August 2021 12-4pm

    On Sunday 8th August stationary engine enthusiasts from Aberdeenshire and beyond will be putting their engines on show at the Alford Heritage Museum. The engines which were commonly used to drive machinery from the late 1800’s on farms and workshops before the common use of the electric motor will be running and driving a variety of equipment.The engines will be on show to the public during the museum open hours 12-4pm, entry to view the engines running in the museum yard free, usual museum entry fees apply.

    Engines must be entered beforehand.

    Further details info@alfordheritagemuseum.com or ring 01464 861098 (evenings)

    engine

    05/09/21 Tractor Road Run

    Sunday 5th September 2021

    Tractors leave the museum at 11am.

    Entry £10 including refreshments at start, but bring your own lunch. Further details info@alfordheritagemuseum.com or ring 01464 861098 (evenings)

    Tractor in Field