On Thursday 25th October 2018, Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop Museum will take part in one of the UK’s biggest museum events – the nationwide ‘Museums at Night’ programme, celebrating the hidden histories of Gretna Green during a candle lit evening.
‘Museums at Night’ is the UK’s after-hours festival of arts, culture and heritage. Now in its tenth year, the festival will take place from 25th- 27th October, running right through the Halloween season. The Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop Museum is hosting a very special event to celebrate ‘Sparks in the dark – Hidden story of Gretna Green’.
The museum is a key part of the Gretna Green Ltd family and will be opening its doors on Thursday the 25th of October from 6.30pm to 9.00pm; to allow visitors to uncover the history, scandal, romance and intrigue of the UK’s most famous wedding venue.
Carolyn Scott, Museum Managers says; “We’re so excited to be able to take part in the Museums at Night programme again this season and are looking forward to welcoming guests to this special event. We have such a rich history here at Gretna Green, some of it isn’t well known and that why we’ve designed this event to tell the hidden stories behind the legend of the run-away wedding and to share our incredible story with our visitors.”
For a fee of only £3, visitors will get to experience an interactive tour guided through the history of the Blacksmiths shop, sharing secrets and insight into some of the most famous people who have wedded within our walls.
Join our team and examine letters, telegrams and even some marriage certificates of couples from all walks of life who, over the years, defied relatives and friends to follow their hearts to Gretna Green. There are letters from the lonely singletons looking for a partner and telegraphs from frantic parents desperate to stop a wayward daughter.
The museum is also home to the world’s oldest Marriage Anvil and visitors will be delighted by a re-enactment of a traditional anvil wedding ceremony. All of this will be followed by a Whisky tasting experience served in the attraction’s Blacksmiths Shop with a mystery ‘Home of Romance’ giftbag to take home.