(02.05.06)
NEW LOOK HARBOUR GALLERY TO BE UNVEILED AT MUSEUM
Shona Hendry - (01224) 522921 - May 2, 2006
Aberdeen City Council News Release
Aberdeen Maritime Museum's newly refurbished Aberdeen Harbour Gallery is to officially open to the public this weekend, offering visitors an even better insight into the port it overlooks.
The Harbour Gallery was upgraded as part of a major project highlighting the long history of Aberdeen Harbour.
Younger audiences will be able to enjoy tailor-made hands-on exhibits, while the revamped gallery means curators are now able to change displays frequently and update the audio-visual presentations.
New exhibits will be rolled out on an ongoing basis, and a programme of themes will become a feature, reflecting the ever-changing operations at Aberdeen Harbour.
These themes will include the great engineering feats which transformed the River Dee estuary to a managed harbour;
quayside industries; trade and cargo handling, and the impact of the offshore oil and gas industry on the modern port and the City and
Shire.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum has also acquired the latest in showcases, allowing artefacts from the 14th-century onwards to be displayed to their greatest effect.
Computer consoles will also allow visitors to access the history in depth by providing different programmes, including port history, a day in the life of the harbour, people at work, then-and-now photographs and the Harbour Board's DVD.
A private reception is being held at the museum on Friday evening (May 5), to officially unveil the Harbour Gallery in front of a host of invited guests.
The gallery will then be open to the public from 10am this Saturday, May 6.
To coincide with the opening, Patrick Jordan of Aberdeen Harbour Board will be leading walking tours of the harbour at 11am and 2pm on Saturday.
All are welcome although children must be accompanied. However, numbers are limited so advance booking is essential - please contact Aberdeen Maritime Museum on 01224 337714.
The Gallery enhancement was part-funded through £45,000 in sponsorship from Aberdeen Harbour Board, which made a similar contribution when the gallery was added to the expanded museum in 1997.
Funding for the upgrade, which cost around £95,000, also included contributions from the friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums and the Hilda Duthie Bequest.
Since 1997, more than 500,000 visitors have toured the museum, including the Harbour Gallery, where space has recently been doubled as a result of the relocation of exhibits elsewhere within the extensive building, located on Shiprow.
John Edwards, Keeper of Science and Maritime History, said: "We decided it was the right time to take full advantage of this additional space, not only to improve the exhibits, but also to make the most of the magnificent room, with its vaulted ceiling, wooden 'decking' and gothic-style windows with views of the modern harbour.
"We are most grateful to Aberdeen Harbour Board for their continuing contribution to the Harbour Gallery, which looks even better than before and will provide an enhanced experience for all visitors to the museum."
Colin Parker, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: "We are pleased to continue our association with the Museum and to support its latest project encouraging public interest in the port, past and present."
"The Gallery uses an excellent combination of historical materials and latest techniques to trace through the centuries the development of today's world class port."
. Situated on historic Shiprow and incorporating Provost Ross's House, Aberdeen Maritime Museum tells the story of the city's long relationship with the sea. It is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 12noon to 3pm on Sundays. Admission is FREE. For further information, please call (01224) 337700.
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