Largs Museum is going 'digital', with new displays which will immerse visitors in the heritage of the town.
The Largs and District Museum will welcome its visitors for this year's summer season, commencing on May 4.
The goal is to open its doors Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 1.30pm and 4.30pm, staffed by volunteers and committee members of the Largs and District Museum and Historical Society.
It is based in Manse Court, down the lane between The George bar/restaurant, and the Great Outdoors shop.
There are various new exhibits this year, on the themes of education in Largs, 19th Century weavers and past provosts of the old Largs Burgh.
There is also a display on Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's life and work, both in Largs and Australia.
With the aid of new technology visitors can also immerse themselves in the history and stories of the town and its districts in a way that was not possible before. The digitised postcard collection is worth a watch on our screen.
Trustee Linda Grieve said: "We intend for the education exhibit to evolve into a longer term project.
"The general aim is to involve our wider community, and its visitors.
One of weaver Hugh Miller's last accounts appeared in the Largs and Millport Weekly News before he died at the age of 84.
He said: 'When the spring-time cleaning was done, the custom was for mothers to do it by lighting a fire and washing at the burnside of the Gogo. The young boys and girls playing themselves on the green grass beside the washers. You had plenty of good water and good bleaching green. There was a distinction between Largs and those of the hamlet of Gogoside. I have in my possession a copy of the articles of the Largs and Gogoside Friendly Society from 1822.
'Back then, carpenters from Greenock came down to protect the north side of the burn in time of flood. By the blowing of the horn, the Largs weavers - at that time numbering between 400 and 500 - were summoned to protect the south side of the burn. The first bridge over the Gogo had four arches. Two were occupied by the burn, and the other two were used as pig houses.
"The Gogo Bridge was first destroyed in the 1850s and again destroyed in 1910 by a great storm."
The Largs Museum is also focussing on school memories and is appealing for News readers for help: "A photo history of ‘school days’ has already begun and has been digitised, and we would like to expand this, so, photos, school objects and personal recollections are of specific interest to us.
"If you do not want to leave an original item, the volunteers will gladly take a copy of same.
"We would also like to establish a more active collaboration with our local schools, and this is something we hope to constructively build upon in the very near future.
"Finally we would like to welcome anyone who could help to volunteer for a couple of hours and find out more about your local history and community."
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