On a sunny day during the Easter holidays you may expect to find one of Peterhead’s most popular tourist attractions filled with families.
Instead, Peterhead Prison Museum played host to HRH Princess Royal on Tuesday as she began two days of engagements in the north-east.
The last time Princess Anne visited the site it was still operating as a prison, so this was her first opportunity to see how the building and its history have been preserved.
The sound of cheers and applause from the street let those within the prison walls know the Royal had arrived for the special visit.
Pupils from nearby Burnhaven Primary School waved Union Jack Flags as Princess Anne was welcomed to the museum with a guard of honour from local Sea Cadets.
As she made her way to the main building, she took the time to greet the children and ask the cadets when they got involved in the youth charity.
Princess Anne visits Peterhead
Conrad Ritchie, chairman of the Admiralty Gateway Charitable Trust – and one of the driving forces behind the museum’s creation – guided Princess Anne on the tour.
Walking in the footsteps of past prisoners, she viewed the old kitchen, laundry and a silent cell, as well as the main halls which were brought to life by actors playing inmates.
One of the prison guards also shared the story of the late Jackie Stuart, a warden who was taken hostage during the infamous Peterhead Prison siege of 1987.
“This visit will give us a boost,” Mr Ritchie said.
“It’s really important for the team and it’s really important for the local area.
“We’re a five-star visitor attraction in the north-east coming into high season, so this is a really good time for Princess Anne to visit.
“There are lots of different things happening at the moment and in the future.
“I hope she has gained a greater understanding of what we’ve achieved and what we’re hoping to achieve with the facility.”
Plaque to commemorate prison visit
All of the guests gathered to watch Princess Anne unveil a granite plaque, specially made to commemorate her visit.
“It will take pride of place in the reception,” Mr Ritchie said.
After cracking a joke about returning to prison, Princess Anne said she was “delighted” to see the efforts being put into keeping the museum going.
The Royal asked if the granite had been sourced from the quarry in Peterhead and was shocked to discover it was actually a Balmoral Red Granite.
The stone is deeper in colour than the local granite and is produced more than 2,000 miles away in Finland.
“Are there many Balmorals in Finland?,” she quipped before signing the museum’s guest book.
Meeting past and present staff
Princess Anne, a loyal supporter of the RNLI, also stopped by the Lifeboat Museum on the site which houses the iconic Julia Park Barry of Glasgow.
Here she spoke to representatives from the charity before heading out to listen to the Fraserburgh RBL Pipe Band perform.
Throughout the tour, Princess Anne met members of the museum team, asking them questions about their roles.
Irene Munro, who has worked as a finance administrator for more than two years, was the first face Princess Anne saw when she stepped inside the prison building.
“We’ve known she was coming for a while but had to keep it quiet,” she said.
“It was a lot of work to get everything prepared but everyone has done a sterling job.
“It’s such a lovely day for it.”
Showcasing the museum
Last year, heritage experts Cove Attractions came on board to “take Peterhead Prison to the next level”.
Chief executive Joel Campbell said it was “great” to receive recognition through the Royal visit.
“It was an opportunity to showcase all the things that happen here,” he said.
“All the work that goes in behind the scenes by the the volunteers, staff members, the local community, to turn a prison into a living, breathing museum.
“This will really help to drive awareness of the local area, where there’s so much to see and do – with Peterhead Prison Museum one of the key attractions.”
Princess Anne travels to Aden Country Park
After leaving Peterhead, Princess Anne met a host of community groups at Aden Country Park in Mintlaw.
As well as being given an overview of the Book of Deer Project, she heard about the Doric language from local historian Gordon Hay and enjoyed a pipe performance from Mintlaw Academy pupil Kyle Elrick.
Princess Anne commemorated her visit by planting a Prunus ‘Royal Burgundy’ tree.
Conversation