Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library

Plans have been submitted for the new multi-million pound Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library.

The project will see the listed Arbuthnot House at the lower end of Broad Street sensitively restored and extended to house both the town’s library and a new museum showcasing Aberdeenshire’s extensive heritage collections and artwork.

It forms part of the ambitious “Cultural Tides: North Sea Connections in Aberdeenshire” bid being supported with £20million from the UK Government alongside the renovation and extension of Macduff Marine Aquarium.

The new museum will provide many opportunities for local communities to learn about the heritage of their area as well as providing visitors with the full breadth and richness of the region’s stories and past.

In addition to permanent museum galleries, the new museum is being designed to accommodate temporary and national touring exhibitions, bringing not only an economic boost for Peterhead and the wider region, but also enriching the experience for both local communities and visitors from far and wide. They will also act as a functions space for individual and corporate events.

The purpose-built galleries will enable many more objects to be displayed, supported by creative interpretation including music, interactives, Doric and film.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Museums Service will be able to change the displays on a regular basis and will work with community groups to co-curate displays and exhibitions.

The plans show the museum galleries starting on the ground floor of the refurbished Arbuthnot House, moving into the upper floors of the new extension. This will allow significantly more material from the council collections to be put on display.

There will also be a specific gallery to focus on the coastal town of Peterhead, with other spaces showcasing objects and material from across Aberdeenshire.

Multi-purpose and workshop spaces will support participation and learning, while outdoors there will be a new outdoor space created in the walled garden with a focus on biodiversity.

The new Peterhead Library will be situated on the ground floor of the new extension alongside Arbuthnot House with access to a sunken seating area in the garden for readings and events.

As part of the cultural quarter, there will also be a new ground floor café offering somewhere for a quick coffee or a leisurely lunch with family and friends, with seating spilling out onto a garden terrace.

In contrast, the top floor restaurant will be more of a destination – a place to dine on the best regional produce while taking in the incredible views towards the harbour.

The existing Carnegie Building which has housed the existing Arbuthnot Museum and Library Peterhead’s St Peter Street for decades will be restored and refurbished. It is to be sensitively restored and upgraded and brought back into use as a modern, accessible cultural space under an external operator.