A tourist attraction in one of Angus’ most picturesque beauty spots may be out of action for some time.
Some of the year’s earliest visitors to the Angus Folk Museum in Glamis could be disappointed to find it has not weathered the elements well despite being hundreds of years old.
Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) closed its attraction as a “precautionary measure”.
It followed a regular condition check of the building by the trust’s surveyors, which suggested that roof tiles had loosened from the property.
The museum, which is housed in six 18th century cottages, contains artefacts and displays depicting more than 200 years of rural life in Angus.
The trust’s group manager for the north-east of Scotland, Steve Callaghan, said: “Our surveyors were carrying out one of their regular inspections of the museum and found evidence that suggested that heavy slate tiles were coming loose from the property’s roof.
“Our first priority is the safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff and that is why we have closed the museum with immediate effect.
“We are now arranging more detailed surveys of the roof in order to properly understand the extent of the problem and determine how long it will take to put things right.”
The museum houses items such as a dossier compiled by Margaret Thorburn on the community’s wartime contribution.
The retired banker spent months researching the history of village names on Kirriemuir’s Great War memorial, among them the late Queen Mother’s brother, whose family home was Glamis Castle.
Their final journey would take them from the fertile farmlands of Strathmore to the quagmires of the First World War the battlefields of places such as Ypres, the Somme, Loos and Passchendaele.
Mr Callaghan expressed his apologies on the trust’s behalf for any inconvenience but said: “We must take all reasonable precautions. Once we have a clearer picture of the situation we will provide more information to the local community and prospective visitors. We are acutely aware how important the museum is for the area and will do everything we can to resolve the situation as quickly as we can.”
Picture by Photos on Location