Tain Museum curator ‘gutted’ after ‘galling’ attack on courtyard gravestones
The curator of an Easter Ross museum says he feels "gutted" after three of its oldest gravestones were attacked by vandals, forcing the closure of its public courtyard.
Tain & District Museum, with its visitor centre set in the grounds of the medieval church of St Duthac, has left its gates open to tourists and the public for years.
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But after a “galling” act perpetrated by vandals last weekend, the centre has had to take the “disappointing” decision to restrict access to its grounds.
The fallen stones, some dating back to the 1880s, are understood to have been targeted at some point during the weekend, on June 22 or June 23.
Museum curator Jason Ubych discovered the toppled granite crosses when opening the visitor centre last Tuesday.
Mr Ubych said: "Our gate has been open for years. I deliberately leave it open so people can come in as we are only open three days a week.
“We can't afford to open on a Saturday anymore, so it was deliberately left open for tourists come in and have a look around our fantastic history without visiting the museum.
"But now, the gate has obviously been locked. The horse has bolted somewhat, but the place will be locked up like a fort now as opposed to open like it should be for people to visit, which is equally disappointing in my eyes. It is gutting, and galling, but there you go."
"Whoever did it are very lucky they never got hurt. If one of those stones fell on them they would be dead. They are made of granite and weigh an extraordinary amount. You wouldn't believe how heavy they are.”
In response to the attack, the museum have had offers of help from within the local community, including an offer from a stonemason to restore the stones to their former glory.
Mr Ubych added: "A stonemason company has offered to come round and re-erect them. We also had an offer from a burger van to come round and supply them with food while they do it.
“After a having a bad day, and feeling quite depressed about it, reading some of the comments from everybody in support of the museum makes up for it a bit.
"There is always good public spirit, so this incident doesn't reflect at all on the town. As I said to someone, remind ourselves this is not a new thing. Our own market cross was pushed over in a drunken lark in the 1800s so this is not new to the town."
John Widdows, director of Ross-shire-based J Widdows Stonemasons said: “I saw the post on social media about the vandalism to several gravestones at Tain museum, and I was disgusted by this.
“I immediately offered to help restore them at no charge. Tain is close to home for me and I am all for local businesses and giving back to the community. I specialise in restoration and conservation so I thought I’d offer to help correct this wrong doing.”
The museum confirmed that the matter has been reported and that police are expected to pay a visit to the site later this week.
