Rural Perthshire museum gets brand new lease of life from Westbank scheme

Building would have fallen into further disrepair if not for initiative

A rural Highland Perthshire museum has been given a much-needed makeover by community payback workers through the council’s Westbank scheme.

Blair Atholl Country Life Museum applied for the work to be carried out on its building, which dates back to the 1850s and houses the inside of the former Trinafour post office.

Jim Finnie, a volunteer at the museum, said the attraction was struggling financially due to the pandemic and the building would have fallen into further disrepair without the help of the scheme.

Jim said: “We’re a museum that is struggling. All our income goes into keeping the place open.

“We were aware that our post office was in pretty bad need of refurbishment and repair on the outside.”

The volunteer praised the workers on the scheme and the Westbank project following the completion of the work.

Jim said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the scheme, the guys who came out were all enthusiastic.

“The work they were doing is important to Blair Atholl. It’s so important as custodians of local history that we look after the infrastructure as well.”

Workers restored parts of the former school that dates back 170 years and remodelled the horse ornament that is the mascot of the museum.

Part of the project saw work carried out on the prominent green hut at the back of the museum which house the post office.

“The post office is the interior of the old Trinafour post office that shut in 1985,” said Jim.

“It was put here and the whole interior of the post office has been faithfully restored. It’s a very popular part of the museum exhibit.”

Volunteer Jim Finnie in the rebuilt post office at the Countryside Museum.