Preserving the Past to Inspire the Future

Scottish Women’s Institutes and The Crichton Trust have announced plans for ‘The Laundry’, a nationally significant Visitor Learning Centre that will become a global hub for crafts, heritage, and skills and showcase the rich history of rural Scotland.

More than 40 supporters, funders, and investors met on The Crichton Estate to discuss the unique collaboration, explore architectural plans and visit the site of what will be the new home for The Crichton and SWI story, which will bring educational and social activities, jobs, and opportunities
to the region.

The Laundry is an existing building on the 85-acre Crichton Estate near Dumfries that will undergo a £15 million deep retrofit transformation into exhibition galleries, shared education, workshops, meeting and study spaces, a cake café and shop, and research facilities. It will also become the SWI’s national office as the organisation relocates from the Central Belt for the first time.

Glasgow-based architecture practice O’DonnellBrown, in collaboration with White Arkitekter, is leading on the ground-breaking redevelopment. It will see the 1960s utilitarian NHS laundry building repurposed to house the collections of SWI and the former Crichton Royal Hospital and provide research access in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council Heritage Service to their respective significant international archives. Their recent work has been supported by funding of £100,000 from the South of Scotland Enterprise and, previously, the UK Community Renewal Fund.

At the heart of the collaboration will be nationally and internationally important archives and artefacts of both the SWI and The Crichton, which will foster a comprehensive understanding of Scottish lives over the pastcentury, with shared touch points revealing the untold stories of women in rural Scotland, women's leadership and

activism. The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £127,125 in November 2024 for the initial phase of the SWI Heritage Project to create exhibition-ready collections.

The Laundry will deliver a unique venue for both collections and organisations and will create an exceptional resource to explore, discuss, and discover how women shaped and continue to shape rural Scotland. It will celebrate the power of people, place, creativity, and community to support health and well-being, learning from two very different parallel stories. It will connect people, place, and the past to shape the future.

Made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

The SWI Heritage Project aims to illustrate the impact of the largest women’s movement in Scottish history and preserve the SWI’s legacy for current and future generations to explore, learn from, and be inspired by.

Support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will enable us to build on work already under way to archive the physical collection and will help us save this heritage by preserving and digitising physical artefacts and records. It will also allow us to capture members’ oral histories – the often-unheard voices of rural women that could be lost forever.

There is huge external interest in the project as experts and academics are excited by the national significance of the items in our care.

"...it was said that the SWRI was the greatest social development in rural Scotland for 100 years."

(Report, Central Council 1963-1966 Archive ref. SWI/1/1/1/1/9)

Founded in 1917 as the Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes (SWRI), now the Scottish Women’s Institutes (SWI), our movement has been a cornerstone of support and friendship for women across Scotland. Our core values are lifelong learning, friendship, and enjoyment.

Without the SWI Heritage Project, the memory of the SWI would be lost forever.

See the Heritage Roadmap here

Volunteering

With a large membership eager to contribute to the SWI Heritage Project, our primary goal is to preserve the past and involve members in helping shape the future.

Securing volunteering support from our members is key for the short, medium, and long-term success of this project.

If you are willing to be involved in this exciting project, add your name to the list of volunteers by emailing: hello@theswi.org.uk or sign up here

Archiving

The project is open to all members, stakeholders and partners, we want to capture valuable insights into the evolving role of the SWI across communities.

Our collection focuses on women, rural, and agricultural lifestyles, it records the past, shedding light on everyday challenges and contributions.

We have also launched an archiving guide for members to use
at regional and local level here

Capturing voices

As time passes there's a risk of losing fascinating stories forever. Documenting history is vital for understanding social, economic, and cultural shifts.

Member volunteers will conduct audio and video interviews, with support provided for transcription, translation, and technical aspects, ensuring proper documentation within the broader SWI heritage collection. Some of these stories will be captured for a range of podcasts, too.

If you want to be involved in capturing oral histories or have a story to tell, email hello@theswi.org.uk or sign up here

SWI Story

The next step will be ceating the story of the SWI. This is vital for preserving its legacy, values, and achievements of the past century and more. This will ensure that future generations understand and are inspired by the SWI's historical impact and significance.

If you want to be involved, add your name to the list of volunteers by emailing: hello@theswi.org.uk or sign up here

Home for our Heritage

The ultimate goal of the SWI Heritage Project is to secure a permanent home for the SWI collection and archive. This is essential to safeguard our cultural and historical artefacts, documents, and stories for future generations.

By having a dedicated space, our heritage can be celebrated, researched, and shared more effectively, promoting cultural awareness and pride across Scotland and beyond.

We have been progressing a unique collaborative partnership with The Crichton Trust to house our shared collections on the Crichton Estate, Dumfries:

In Nov 2023, we held a Federation office bearers event: here
In Dec 2023, the Board of Trustees approved to progress with the partnership: here
In May 2024, we held a member consultation event with architects in Glasgow Women's Library
In May 2024, we held an event for academics: here

Funding the SWI Heritage Project

We are delighted that the first steps in securing the SWI collection and archive have been made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players. Due to the scale of the project we are seeking support from further funders to progress the wider SWI Heritage Project to capture and share the SWI story.

If you would like to be involved in the monthly SWI Heritage Group please email hello@theswi.org.uk for further details.