- Biggar Museum Trust
Biggar Museum Trust (BMT) consists of several museums based in and around the town of Biggar in
South Lanarkshire ,Scotland . It was largely started on the initiative of several individuals, notably Brian Lambie, some years ago, and is both non-profit and independent of local government; indeed, sometimes BMT has struggled to get state funding. Its funding in the past has largely depended on its unpaid staff, entrance fees and public good will.Amongst their museums are:
*Two properties celebrating the work of well known authors:
**Brownsbank Cottage, former home ofHugh MacDiarmid , with a live-inwriter in residence , who must produce works in Lowland Scots. This is only open by appointment.
** A museum ofJohn Buchan , the writer of "The Thirty Nine Steps " andGovernor General of Canada , who lived near Broughton
* A general interest museum set in a former church just off the main road. The building is situated on a mound that is the remains of an oldMotte-and-bailey castle. The offices are also here.
* ACovenanter House restored to the condition of the period
* A 'street museum' featuring a street of several decades ago, complete with shops, inside a former warehouse.
* The [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst236.html Biggar Gasworks Museum] is housed in the last existing gasworks in Scotland where coal was used to maketown gas before the introduction ofnatural gas Biggar also contains a museum, not run by BMT, namely the Little Theatre. Biggar also has strong connections with
William Wallace , with a small bridge in the town being associated with him, although his connection toLanark is better known.
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