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The scale model of old Cullen in the Heritage Centre, grey stone cottages and the Auld Kirk among little gardens and trees.
Morayshire

Cullen Heritage Centre

A free museum on Cullen's Square, run by volunteers, whose pride is a detailed model of the old town that was pulled down in the 1820s.

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Welcome

On the Square in Cullen, the town's Heritage Centre tells the story of the old town.

In the 1820s the old burgh of Cullen was pulled down and rebuilt where it stands today, so that the Earl of Seafield could lay out his grounds. Here you can see the old town as it was.

Pride of place goes to a large and loving scale model of Auld Cullen in 1818: rows of stone cottages, the Auld Kirk, gardens and the buildings along the burn, with Cullen House and the Adam Bridge beyond. Around it are displays on fishing, the railway and the town's old shops, and a reading room where you can browse books and old photographs.

The centre is run by volunteers from the local heritage group. It is free, with donations welcome, and opens every day except Wednesdays and the first Monday of each month.

Round the cornerRockpool CaféA family-friendly cafe and restaurant on the Square in Cullen, known for its Cullen skink, lunches, coffee and cakes.1 min by roadSee itThe Rockpool café on a street corner beneath a stone railway viaduct
Before you go

Open 10.30am to 4.30pm every day except Wednesdays and the first Monday of the month.

Free, with donations welcome.

Where
11 The Square, Cullen, AB56 4RR.
Entry
Free.
Closed
Wednesdays and the first Monday.
Where it is

On the Square in the middle of Cullen, AB56 4RR.

Close byCullen.
  1. Garden House TradingGarden House TradingA gift shop in a curved sandstone corner building on the Square in Cullen, full of cards, homewares, candles, scarves and souvenirs.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. CullenCullenThe town the model shows before it moved.Under a mile1 min by road
  3. Cullen Links Golf ClubCullen Links Golf ClubA short and quirky links on Cullen Bay, first laid out by Old Tom Morris, with red sandstone stacks standing in play on the back nine.Under a mile2 min by road
  4. Findlater CastleFindlater CastleA cliff-top ruin east of town.3 miles7 min by road
  5. Weathered gravestones set into arched recesses within a ruined church wallDeskford KirkA ruined kirk with a carved sacrament house.4 miles7 min by road
Directions
The Rockpool café on a street corner beneath a stone railway viaductRestaurantsRockpool CaféA step away
Sandy beach and sea seen through the arched window of a wooden saunaAttractionsSauna at the Kings0.7 miles
Grassy dunes and rocky sand lead to a curved headland beyond the bayAttractionsSunnyside Beach1.1 miles
Fishing boats moored in harbour below whitewashed cottages on a grassy hillsideAttractionsPortknockie2.5 miles
Portknockie Fish Bar, a white-painted chip shop with green trim, at duskRestaurantsPortknockie Fish and Chips2.5 miles
Bow Fiddle Rock arching over the sea near PortknockieAttractionsBow Fiddle Rock2.7 miles
The curving sands of Sandend Bay, yellow gorse in the foreground.AttractionsSandend Beach3.5 miles
Rows of casks on their racks in a Glenglassaugh warehouse.AttractionsGlenglassaugh Distillery3.5 miles
Curved sign reading "Portsoy Ice Cream" on a stone corner buildingCafePortsoy Ice Cream5.4 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.

A single-storey lodge with a slated roof sits behind a stone wall and clipped hedge, mature trees shading the curving drive.Gate Lodge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 13 miles from the Heritage Centre
Check datesA triangular timber cabin stands behind a wooden gate and post-and-rail fence, bare trees framing the entrance.Midpark
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 13 miles from the Heritage Centre
Free 27–29 OctA stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.Butlers Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Morayshire
  • 13 miles from the Heritage Centre
Free 17–19 OctA grey stone cottage with dormer windows and a black front door, climbing roses either side, set behind a lawn.Bailies Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Rothiemay
  • 13 miles from the Heritage Centre
Free 26–28 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in MorayshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

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Find out more

For further reading, before you go.