John Muir's Birthplace

news - about - search - email - home dunbar - djma - muir - jmbt - donate Outline of Development Plan for John Muir's Birthplace

Content updated Mon, 01 Feb 1999 00:36:10 GMT

Birthplace Appeal... [home]

Business Sponsors

Outline of Development Plan for John Muir's Birthplace

Birthplace Appeal: News...

Plan produced for John Muir Birthplace Trust by The Environment and Development Company in association with MKW Design Partnership and ASH Consulting Group.

The consultants identified a number of priorities which shaped their proposals:

• the context and the building
• the audience - who is it for?
• the message - what should visitors take away?
• the media - how should the message be conveyed
• operation and management.

It is envisaged that visitors will range from those who will be learning about John Muir for the first time through to serious students and those for whom a visit to his birthplace is in the nature of a pilgrimage. School parties will be provided for and facilities with allow input to both the primary and secondary curriculum and to those undertaking the John Muir Award. It is intended that the strong community interest will be maintained and that locals will feel encouraged to make use of the centre on an ongoing basis.

The ground floor will introduce the visitor to John Muir and to Dunbar in the 1840s. It will show conservation in action, provide information about local walks and other John Muir sites, have an area available for the community to mount their own exhibitions and have available relevant books and videos for sale.

The middle floor will house an exhibition dealing with Muir's life from his childhood in Dunbar to his exalted position as founder of the US national parks and advisor to presidents. It will use photographs, facsimiles of documents, extracts from his writings, contemporary newspaper articles, etc with an emphasis on the Dunbar connection. There will also be a display of conservation work that is happening today in Scotland and around the world as a direct result of Muir.

The top floor will be a busy interactive area with wall-to-wall information using books, computers, CD-ROMs and interactive video. There will be up to the minute media reports on the ecological crisis and counter measures in conservation and preservation.

The whole building will be accessible to disabled visitors. There will toilet facilities and a small office. Storage will be provided in a timber framed outhouse which will also incorporate a small study room. All alterations and additions will incorporate best practice in sustainability, durability and conservation.