Welcome to the Museums and Heritage general information page.
We look after and promote the cultural heritage of the area through our museums’ collections.
Our prime responsibility is to safeguard your heritage for future generations. We also aim to educate and stimulate both the local community and visitors through the creative use of our collections and facilities, including two VisitScotland ’4 Star’ visitor attractions:
- Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life and
- North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre.
We also look after three smaller museums facilities within local libraries:
- Shotts Heritage Centre
- Cumbernauld Museum, and
- Kilsyth Museum.
North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre holds the Archives and Records collections for the council and welcomes enquiries from the public. It can help with research into the records of former local authorities, businesses, estates and family histories. Maps and plans can be copied for Building Warrants and other research purposes.
Please contact us for full information on the Archives and Records at North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre.
Events and Exhibitions
As well as offering full public access to our permanent collections, we also organise an extensive programme of events and exhibitions at Summerlee Museum and North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre. Events also take place at other venues, for example:
- Roman-themed talks and activities at Cumbernauld Museum, and
- talks on local studies and research in libraries and community centres.
Other Services
- Help with enquiries on the donation of objects or photographs, archaeological enquiries and ‘Treasure Trove’ procedures.
- Assistance with family and local history researches via parish registers, burgh records, newspaper files and genealogical databases.
- Provision of a map copying service at North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre, for planning applications and property purchase research purposes.
- Outreach programmes for all sections of the local community. These include loan boxes, schools’ activities, talks, group visits, social events and special projects.
Photograph Reprint Service
Copy prints and 35mm slides, both colour and black and white, can be made from original photographs in the Council’s collection. A price list is available on request from all North Lanarkshire Council museum facilities.
Local History and Family Researches
For help with getting started, on what to look for and where to look for it, contact our Archives and Local Studies sections at North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre or our Local Studies section at Airdrie Library.
Hire of Conference Rooms
For meetings with a difference, consider our conference rooms at either Summerlee Museum or North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre. Audio-visual facilities, choice of seating arrangements, catering and stationery can all be arranged.