HRH The Princess Royal Visits the Scottish Fisheries Museum

The Scottish Fisheries Museum was delighted to welcome HRH The Princess Royal for a private visit on Friday 15 October.

Her Royal Highness visited the Scottish Fisheries Museum to officially mark the 50th anniversary of the Museum, which is home to a nationally significant heritage collection, and also to dedicate the Reaper, one of the few vessels in the UK’s prestigious National Historic Fleet* kept in a seagoing condition.

Her Royal Highness, who visited the Museum last in 2009, was welcomed by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Fife, Mr Robert Balfour.

Mr Balfour then presented the Scottish Fisheries Museum hosts: Mrs Karen Seath, Chair of the Scottish Fisheries Museum Trust; Mr Ian Goodyear, Managing Director; Mrs Linda Fitzpatrick, Curator; and Mr Simon Hayhow, Development Director.

Reflecting on the Royal visit, Ian Goodyear, Managing Director of the Scottish Fisheries Museum says:

“It was our pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness back to the Scottish Fisheries Museum to celebrate our 50th anniversary and present our wonderful national collection and the magnificent, newly restored Reaper.

“Marking our fiftieth anniversary with a visit from Her Royal Highness is hugely important. It is a reflection of how far our Museum, which tells the story of Scotland’s ‘boats, fish and folk’, has come. It is also a great foundation as we begin to look at exciting new ways in which we can further develop the Museum and our visitor experience over coming years.”

During the two hour visit to the Museum at Anstruther Harbour, Fife, Her Royal Highness toured the Museum, stopping to hear more about the Steam Gallery and Memorial Room from volunteers Mr Iane Duncan and Mr John Firn.

Her Royal Highness then met Members of the Scottish Fisheries Museum Model Boat Builders and Scottish Fisheries Museum Rowing Club.

Stopping in the Zulu Gallery, Mrs Fitzpatrick introduced the history of the Zulu Fishing Boat and Her Royal Highness met retired fisherman and former, long-standing Museum skipper, Mr Coull Deas; Trustee Ms Elaine Black; and Vice President Mr David Tod.

On the Harbourside, Her Royal Highness was introduced to Harbourmaster Mr Allan Anderson and Mrs Lloyd Carson Prescott before boarding the iconic ‘Fifie’ Reaper, the Museum’s flagship historic vessel which opened to visitors in August following a £1million conservation.

Onboard, Her Royal Highness heard more about the work to conserve what is the last of the great First-Class Scottish Herring Luggers and a ‘Rare Survivor’ from the golden age of sail from Master Boatbuilder Mr Ali Beadie and Skipper Mr Mike Barton.

Her Royal Highness then unveiled a plaque commemorating the visit on the Reaper and was presented with a painting of the Reaper by Arthur Nuttall, a local artist who regularly exhibits in the Museum.

The Scottish Fisheries Museum is open 10.00am – 4.00pm Wednesday to Sunday up to and including 31 October then Winter Opening Times, 10.00am – 3pm Thursday to Sunday until 31st March.