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An 80-year-old Dornoch artist has invoked images and languages from the distant past to welcome locals and visitors to the future – a brand new 21st century extension to the town’s museum.
Retired industrial chemist and blacksmith Peter Wild, a former curator of the museum and current chairman of Dornoch Heritage Society, has used stone lettering and relief carving techniques to spell out the word “Welcome” in several languages, including Viking, Pictish, and ancient Ogham runes (secret writing and script) as well as in English and Gaelic.
He has also carved a delightful image of a Pictish horseman taken from a local symbol stone.
Peter, whose wife Sally, is a much admired local illustrator and print artist, started the craft of letter cutting some 20 years ago, combining it with relief carving. He has gained a fine reputation all over the country for his skill, and visits and teaches other groups who share and enjoy this craft.
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Commenting on this new project he said: “The original museum opened about 24 years ago and it was felt that an extension was needed to house the ever-growing collections.
“After many years of planning and fundraising, the extension is now complete and ready for fitting out. While the museum is now open to the public, the extension will be officially opened later this year.”
Peter continued: “Part of the vision was to have an artwork at the new entrance to welcome visitors.
“I designed and carved the word ‘Welcome’, to be spelt out in several languages including Gaelic, Viking and ancient Ogham, all of which are appropriate in East Sutherland.
“Strictly speaking, runes and Ogham are just alphabets and can therefore be used to write in any language so I wrote the Ogham translated from the Gaelic ‘Failte’.
“The runes are a copy of a runic inscription in Lye Church on Gotland which translates ‘All are welcome’.
“The last element is a copy of the Pictish horseman taken from the stone at Edderton Church as they had no written language.
“They sometimes added Ogham to their symbol stones as can be seen on the Golspie cross slab in Dunrobin.
“Using Caithness Flagstone, it took me several weeks to chisel and is now built into the wall.”
Peter, who has been involved with Historylinks since it was built, is now organising a winter lecture series and presenting films illustrating aspects of Sutherland’s past.
