The Mapping Museum research project was created to look at the increase in the number of museums in the UK. As part of this project, Elizabeth Cameron was interviewed about the Laidhay Croft Museum.

Explore more about the Mapping Museum project here and read Cameron's interview below:

Interview summary

Name of person being interviewed: Elizabeth Cameron

Location of interview: Dunbeath, Caithness

Date of Recording: 17 May 2019

Recording Length: 00:54:46

Name of interviewer: Dr Toby Butler

Description: Laidhay Croft Museum is dedicated to various aspects of life connected to croft living and farming in Caithness, Scotland

Summary of main points in interview: Elizabeth Cameron owned the croft building and sold it to local hotelier Bert Mowat, who set up the Trust and restored the building. Living adjacent to the Croft, Cameron worked as manager/curator and is the Trust secretary.

Cameron discusses her farming background and how she bought the croft for farming with her husband. She describes how the croft used to include a tourist information centre and describes the restoration of the building. Local people donated domestic and agricultural items and Cameron arranged the croft interior. She describes some of the objects in the collection and why it is important to remember how hard things were, particularly for women, in the past.

The Trust rents out a building for a café and as part of the agreement the café owners open and close the museum, which is now unstaffed. Cameron discusses the governance of the Trust and some grant funding the Croft has received to expand the museum. She talks about how tourism has changed, including the impact of the Highland Coast 500 route. She discusses current challenges including the need for new trustees.