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BBC1's Antiques Road Trip stops off at Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage and Museum in Cromarty in latest show


By Philip Murray

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Dr Alix Powers with BBC's David Harper.
Dr Alix Powers with BBC's David Harper.

THE small screen beckons for a historic gem on the Black Isle today (Friday) when Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum features on the BBC.

The Cromarty-based museum, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland, will feature in the latest episode of the popular TV show, Antiques Road Trip.

The site was visited back in November to record the show, with a television crew spending a day filming at the museum and around the town in preparation for today’s 4.30pm broadcast.

On the final leg of their visit to Scotland, the shows Izzie Balmer, an auctioneer, and dealer David Harper soak up the atmosphere of Cromarty and learn about its most famous son, Hugh Miller, before going on to bag a bargain at a local antiques shop.

The BBC1 programme, will hear from Dr Alix Powers Jones, the property manager at the Birthplace Cottage and Museum. Alix tells antiques expert David Harper about the life of celebrated polymath Hugh Miller, a pioneering geologist, writer and folklorist. But while Alix is herself an expert on Miller, she admitted the tricky part of being in front of a TV camera was keeping her hands still.

She revealed: “I quickly discovered that rustling waterproof and my usual expansive hand waving do not make for a happy microphone. Positively unable to speak if I can’t wave my hand about, I compromised and waved, accentuated and underlined my words with the other hand!”

In the programme, Alix reads aloud a letter written to Hugh Miller. by his contemporary Charles Darwin, who is credited for the theory of natural selection. Alix said: “This short letter is respectful, reverential even of Miller and his studies. The man who was to become a leading light in the understanding of human evolution writes with real feeling to Miller about his work.

“Next time you are in Hugh Miller’s Museum, read aloud the transcript for yourself and weave your own connection to Darwin and Miller – it’s an experience that won’t disappoint.”

Alix added: “I hope our episode of Antiques Road Trip will tempt more people to visit.”

The show will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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