Photo: Andrew Hackney · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Giant Angus Macaskill Museum

Tiny museum on Dunvegan's main street honouring Angus MacAskill, the 19th-century Skye-born giant, with a life-size model and oversized furniture.

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About the museum

The Giant Angus MacAskill Museum in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye was set up in 1989 by the local man Peter MacAskill. It commemorates Angus MacAskill (1825 to 1863), who was born on Berneray, emigrated to Nova Scotia and became known as the Cape Breton Giant. He is described as standing about 7 ft 8 in tall and weighing some 425 lb, which makes him a contender for the tallest Scotsman who ever lived. He toured with Barnum's circus alongside General Tom Thumb.

The museum occupies a small whitewashed building with a thatched roof, a rarity on Skye, on Dunvegan's main street. A life-size model lets visitors stand beside the giant, and the displays include a photograph of him with Tom Thumb, a barrel that served as his table, a giant-sized bed and chair, an extra-large coffin and the MacAskill family tree. Peter MacAskill also founded the Colbost Croft Museum nearby, which is now closed.

Highlights

Life-size model of Angus MacAskill
Giant-sized bed and chair
Photograph with General Tom Thumb
Extra-large coffin and the MacAskill family tree
Thatched building on Dunvegan's main street

Permanent exhibition

Angus MacAskill, the Cape Breton Giant – Memorabilia and replicas about the life of the 19th-century giant, including a life-size model and furniture made to his size.