Blairs Museum

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Blairs Museum offers a unique insight into Scotland's history and heritage with spectacular collections spanning more than 500 years.

Highlights include artifacts relating to Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the history of the Catholic faith

14/10/2026

✝What's in our collection Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this pocket watch in our collection.

🕛Bishop Hay was the original owner of this pocket watch. It is engraved with gold rosettes with the hours marked in roman numerals and the minutes in traditional numbers.

07/10/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this portrait of Bishop Chisholm painted by John Henry Lorimer in our collection.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Aeneas Chisholm (1836 - 1918) served as Bishop of Aberdeen from 1899 until his death in 1918, having been the Rector of Aberdeen previously. This portrait was quite possibly painted to commemorate the opening of the new college at Blairs.

30/09/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this portrait of Right Reverend John McLachlan (1826–1893) in our collection.

⛪McLachlan was born in Glasgow, on 7 September 1826 and was ordained in 1850. He served as the Bishop of Galloway from 1878 until his death in 1893.

23/09/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting the Fetternear Vestment Set.

🌷This vestment set features in an inventory of the Leslie family dated 1690, and is said to be made from embroideries and jewelled armoury captured at the Siege of Vienna (1683). The chasuble is made from white satin with elaborate silk flowers edged with silver thread. There is a great deal of elaborate metal work embroidery which has some affinities to tel kakma modern Turkish work. The unusual pattern of the silver ground of the orphrey has so far only been found on works of German origin. Just look at that detail!

16/09/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this portrait in our collection of Bishop James Kyle (1788–1869).

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Bishop Kyle was born in Edinburgh in 1788 and was the son of a wealthy architect. He was sent at the age of twelve to study at the seminary of Aquhorties and was later ordained a priest in 1812. This portrait was commissioned from artist James Bisset.

09/09/2026

✝What's in our collection Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this portrait in our collection painted by Robert Brough (1872–1905).

🖌Robert Brough was a Scottish portrait painter who tragically died young. He was a former student of Gray's School of Art and died as a result of injuries sustained from a railway disaster in 1905. The subject of this painting is Monsignor Charles Tochetti, benefactor of Blairs College, who died at Blairs in 1903.

02/09/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this wafering iron in our collection.

🍷Wafering irons are iron tongs used to make Eucharist wafers for Mass. It has long handles and circular plates on the end which close. The long handles keep the user safe from the fire which would heat the wafer. The plates on this wafering iron are engraved with a cross and IHS design. When heated this would leave an impression on the wafer and it would then be used for Mass.

26/08/2026

✝ Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this portrait of Thomas Nicholson in our collection.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Thomas Nicholson (1645–1718) was the First Vicar Apostolic of Scotland, appointed in 1694, during a lull in the persecution of Catholics in Scotland. He was a convert to Catholicism. During his term of office, he travelled throughout the whole of Scotland, including the islands, administering sacred sacraments to many who had received none since the extinction of the old hierarchy.

19/08/2026

✝What's in our collection Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this painting of Saint Francis of Assisi in our collection.

😇 St Francis was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone around 1181 in Assisi, Italy. He rejected his family's wealth and devoted himself to a life of poverty. In 1210, he officially founded the religious order of the Franciscans. St Francis died on 3 October 1226. He was canonized 16 July 1228 by Pope Gregory IX and is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

12/08/2026

✝Happy Wednesday! Today we are re-highlighting this painting of the Assumption in our collection.

🕊This Saturday, the 15th, is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This painting from our collection is a copy of the masterpiece by Titian which hangs above the high altar in the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice.

Address

Riverside Of Blairs, South Deeside Road, Blairs
Aberdeen
AB125YQ

Telephone

01224 863767

Website

http://www.blairsmuseum.org.uk/

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