St Peter's Heritage Centre

About the museum

St Peter's Heritage Centre was created in 1999, when the two churches of Peterculter, St Peter's and Kelman Memorial, merged. The St Peter's church building stood empty, and a local man, Allan Pennie, supported by his friend J. Arthur McFarlane, bought it to turn it into a heritage centre. The building itself dates from 1779 and stands on a site used for church purposes since the twelfth century, overlooking the River Dee.

The centre aims to keep and display items that shaped the development of the village, to teach local people about its links with agriculture, the railways and the paper mill, and to provide a local facility for educational and social activities. It is run by St Peter's Heritage Trust, a registered charity, with the help of volunteers.

The exhibitions cover Culter Paper Mills, Culter School, farming in Aberdeenshire, Rob Roy, the Culter Tapestry, the Deeside railway line with a model train and track, Culter at war, the Knights Templar and shops of the past. Replicas of a village shop and a but-and-ben, a traditional cottage, show domestic life in earlier times. The neighbouring Heritage Hall, which began life as a chapel in Ballater, was bought for the community and serves afternoon teas on summer Sundays.

Highlights

• Former parish church overlooking the River Dee
• Displays on Culter Paper Mills, the school and farming
• Deeside railway line with model train and track
• Replica village shop and but-and-ben cottage
• Sunday afternoon teas in the Heritage Hall in summer

Permanent exhibitions

• Culter Paper Mills – Display about the paper mills that played a central part in the development of the village.
• The Deeside Railway Line – Exhibition about the railway along the River Dee, with a model train and track.
• Culter Shops in the Past – Recalls the shops of the village, alongside a replica village shop that shows how people shopped and lived.

Founded

1999

Operated by

St Peter's Heritage Trust

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The centre is on Howie Lane in the south of Peterculter, overlooking the River Dee.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Afternoon teas with home bakes are served by volunteers in the Heritage Hall on Sundays from May to September for a suggested donation of £5 per person (£3 for under-12s); cash only.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The Heritage Hall has a fully equipped kitchen and a private garden and is let on a regular basis to local groups; one-off bookings are not taken at present.