The People of Place
exploring places through understanding the people that have lived and worked in them
welcome to Dunoon and the first phase of the town's People of Place project: the shop keepers of Argyll St.
Working in partnership with Argyll and Bute Council's Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (A+B CARS) and the community run Castle House Museum, The People of Place initiative set out to explore the characters of Dunoon's main shopping street - Argyll Street.
With the help of John Stirling and volunteers from the Castle house Museum, we reviewed archive material and artefacts from the museum's extensive collection, to identify the connections they had with local shops.
A+B CAR's officer Claire Hallybone consulted with shop owners about the heritage of various retail premises along the street. Over the course of 6 weeks, research was collated from social media channels and interviews with members of the local community.
The research culminated in a street long exhibition and heritage trail. With the co-operation of local shop keepers, 13 exhibits were situated in shop window's and a further two at the Castle House Museum and Queen's Hall.
A map and exhibition guide accompanied the heritage trail. Over 500 people took a guide and viewed it and many more happened across the shop window displays whilst shopping.
We received amazing feedback from the local community and visitors and the research highlighted the valuable contribution shops and shop keepers make to the story of place and collective community experience of the town.
Exhibition images
"I honestly feel differently about the Dunoon High Street! Amazing how connecting with the past (and seeing what bits the kids were particularly interested in) makes you see a place in a new light. The kids especially liked the big photo of the Cowal Games in the Queen's Hall cafe, the butchers tiling (we bought a pie) and the entrance to the old [Maypole] dairy."
Anna Wynne of Lochgoilhead.
The exhibition was part of the:
