Heritage Centre

Step into the story of Great Cumbrae.

Located on the lower ground floor of the Millport Town Hall, the Heritage and Conservation Centre is a space dedicated to preserving the island’s unique history, culture, and community spirit. Through photographs, artefacts, and personal stories, the Centre captures the memories and milestones of those who have lived on or visited this special island.

It is a living archive, open to all, built by many, and growing with each contribution.

Millport Town Hall is not yet open to the public, but preparations are well underway.

If you’d like to contribute photographs, artefacts, or memorabilia in the meantime, please contact our team. Your story could become part of ours.

Where Memories and Heritage Meet

The Heritage and Conservation Centre aims to capture for posterity an accessible archive of memories and experiences of people living or visiting the Isle of Cumbrae.

The culture of the island and its heritage will be better identified and explained. Our past culture and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources, and Millport Town Hall aims to inform visitors about their past, ancestors, and origins, helping them understand how they have evolved to become who they are today.

Photography is a powerful medium in conveying time and place; details can be recorded that are sometimes not captured in written records. We have been fortunate to have received some donations of both artefacts and photos, and welcome further contributions.

The many spin-offs from an involvement in championing this special island will provide social interaction opportunities for some of our isolated and elderly residents, and their feeling of worth will be enhanced. The culture of the island, its past and its future will be exhibited and preserved.

There are so many memories that have been related to the Trustees since the regeneration project started back in 2018. As William Morris said to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, “Old buildings – Their wonkiness and the narrative they weave. The romance of the past mixed with the hope of the future.”

A place to visit – a place to become involved with!

A Legacy of Exploration

We are delighted to host a legacy exhibition by Roger Watts FRSGS on behalf of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, celebrating the epic journey made by Dr W. S. Bruce and the discovery of Coats Land on the Weddell Sea. The safe return in 2004 to Cumbrae is honoured in the granite monument set opposite the Field Studies Centre, Millport.

Millport Memoirs

“Although we weren’t sent to Millport by the authorities, we were amongst around 500 children (including local children) who were evacuated from Glasgow. I attended Millport Primary for 3 months in the morning and then 3 months in the afternoon. As more children arrived, I attended school in the Town Hall for the next 3 months whilst my brother attended the primary, he was aged 5. Swapping between the primary school and the Town Hall was the only way to ensure all the children received an education, albeit half days only.

I remember there was a Home Guard on the island consisting of older men and they were armed with spades, shovels, rakes and other garden tools although some had rifles. They all had a uniform and were known to everyone. One day, my father rented out Shears’ Landau (horse drawn carriage) for a day out. We went up Ferry Road for a run (me, mum, dad, brother Drew and Shearer). We were stopped on route by a group from the Home Guard (who knew him) armed with said garden tools. They were very official and he was asked to produce his ID card and reason for travel. Looking back, it was like a scene from BBC’s Dad’s Army.

I am lucky that my brother and I spent our childhood in Millport. During the war years, times were hard and there was no real suffering, we didn’t actually go without much as everyone mucked in and looked out for each other. We had such amazing freedom to play in safe surroundings.”

— Margaret Steele (née Barclay) - Millport Memoirs - Full version available at the Heritage Centre

Cumbrae Through the Years

Step back in time with a curated selection of postcards, portraits, and everyday moments from Great Cumbrae’s past.

These images, some of which are on display in the Heritage and Conservation Centre, celebrate the lives, buildings, and stories that have shaped the island across generations.

Do you have a photo, memory, or artefact to share? Your contribution could help bring Cumbrae’s story to life for future generations.