National Museum of Rural Life

The National Museum of Rural Life is a museum of agriculture and rural life in Scotland. It belongs to the Royal Museum, the Museum of Scotland, National War Museum, the National Museum of Costume and the National Museum of Flight at the National Museums of Scotland. The museum is located on the Wester Kittochside farm located between East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire and Carmunnock in Glasgow. The museum was called until 2006 Museum of Scottish Country Life.

Foundation

The museum opened in 2001, at a cost of nine million pounds. It was funded by the National Museums of Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, the National Lottery, the European Fund for National Development, the South Lanarkshire Council, the Scottish Natural Heritage, and by private donations. The National Museum of Rural Life Museum contains 4600 m² surface, the Georgian buildings of Wester Kittochside farm and 24 ha of species-rich outdoor area.

Kittochside

The 69 -acre farm was the National Trust for Scotland given in 1992 by Margaret Reid. The Reid family farmed the property since 1567. The house was built in 1782-1784 and expanded in 1906. In the 1920s, the house was given a power supply. The facility is state of the 1950s. The northern part of the building stands on the foundations of an earlier building, probably one of the nave from the 17th century.

The small barn was expanded in the mid 19th and early 20th century and re-roofed. The barn has a threshing floor, was threshed on the hand. 1860 Dreschmühle was installed.

On the farm is a functional horse gin, which was uncovered and restored. Between 1820 and 1840, was threshed with the help of horses goepel.

The exhibition

The exhibition building was built in 1998-2001 on newly bought from other country. The design of the building is similar to a barn: Large sliding doors, wood paneled walls. The exhibition is devoted to agriculture, farming equipment and farm life of past centuries. Many of the exhibits come originally from the existing Scottish Agricultural Museum in Ingliston, others were specially acquired or derived from donations. In addition, folk art is shown, among other things, a jewelry collection.

The museum shows not only the agricultural equipment and clothing, toys, musical instruments and household appliances. Among the exhibited machines there is a mower by Patrick Bell (1799-1869), the oldest surviving European iron plow, invented by James Small (1730-1793) and the largest collection of combine harvesters in Europe that can be visited on request. For permanent exhibition also includes the oldest preserved Dreschmühle the world.

Besides the exhibition, the museum offers the opportunity to drive the tractor to the pastures and there to see a herd of Ayrshire cattle, Clydesdale horses and a flock of sheep.

In addition, each year offered several workshops on the topic of agriculture. Besides walks on the farm, the museum offers, among other German Shepherd competitions, horse and tractor shows.

Below the exhibition building is a small valley ( Kittochglen ) through which the Kittoch waters flows, which has previously driven the flour mill on the banks. The mill building and the weir can be visited.

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