Cullen model brings to life lost world of the Auld Toon from 200 years ago
A new phase has been unveiled in a stunning project depicting a Moray village 200 years ago.
April 2 saw Cullen, Deskford and Portknockie Heritage Group unveil phase 2 of their 1:200 scale model showing Cullen as it was two centuries ago. It was a pivotal moment in the town’s history when it moved from its then location around the Auld Kirk and Cullen House to where it is now.
Last year saw the first stage of the project unveiled at Cullen Heritage Centre to mark the bicentenary, while this time around it was the turn of the rest of the settlement - including a recreation of Cullen House as it was in 1820 as a stunning centrepiece to the now-completed model.
Each of the buildings and structures were, as with phase one, lovingly crafted by expert model maker John Czajkowski, while the landscape was created by the heritage group team.
In the year since the model was launched, it has proved a great draw for the heritage centre. Visitor numbers were up by over 50 per cent, with an increase in donations per visitor of over 30 per cent.
Heritage group president Brenda Wood said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of interest.
“And by people’s generosity - the increased donations have helped us improve our facilities and run more activities. Most importantly, though, the model has caught the imagination of visitors and locals alike.
“It’s been wonderful to see so many people engaging with the history of our wee town.”
Reprising his role as guest speaker from last year was Portgordon man Prof Peter Reid from Robert Gordon University’s School of Creative and Cultural Business.
He noted that a sneak preview of the expanded model recently had left him “completely blown away”.
Prof Reid continued: “Cullen House now sits absolutely majestically as the centrepiece of the model and what's really clever is that it's Cullen House as it would have looked like at that point before David Bryce added his sort of baronial interpretations later in the 19th century and, to my mind at least, he's spoiled a bit of the south front of the house in doing so.
“The landscape looks absolutely superb and when you look at it, there's a really clever shift going on. Everything to the south of Cullen House is how the landscape park and gardens would have looked but everything to the north towards the sea represents the earlier period when there were still mills and tanneries and kilns and even a partially constructed temple.
“This is truly an astonishing feat…the amount of work that has gone into this is truly incredible.”
Prof Reid went on to pay tribute to all those involved in making the project a reality.
As Prof Reid alluded to, the model of Cullen House proved to be quite a challenge; the building was heavily remodelled between 1858 and 1868, and no reliable images of the entire building have survived from before that. A few partial views exist, though, and working from these, plus extensive historical and architectural research by the heritage team, Mr Czajkowski was able to create a breath-taking model of Cullen House.
Next to the house William Adam’s bridge of 1744 spans the valley, while below can be seen the laundry, the ice house and the gardens: the Punchbowl with serpentine paths, and upstream, the formal flower gardens and fountain.
The model also features a range of industries that operated along the valley of the Cullen Burn, including mills, textiles, bricks and tile manufacture, snuff production and a tannery. There are even racks of tiny animal skins drying outside the tannery. On a hillock to the west of the burn mouth sits the Temple of Fame, under construction at that point in time.
The event also marked the opening of the heritage centre for its summer season. It is open very day apart from Wednesday from 10.30am to 4.30pm although it is closed when the group hold their regular talks, usually on the first Monday of the month. For more information on these talks and more group news, follow their Facebook page.
