A 2020 ‘museum of the year’, in a remote area of northern Scotland, tells the story of a far-flung community and its faith

One day in 1887 a group of Christians in a remote area of northern Scotland – possibly inspired by it being the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee – had the idea of putting together a time capsule, which they then embedded in the wall of the small ecumenical church they were building beside a loch. The church was a community effort: locals donated time or skills for free so it could be built, and they agreed it could be used by any Protestant denomination (though not by Catholics).

The capsule, which took the form of a glass container, remained hidden for 128 years. In February 2015, during building work to convert the church into a private home, it was unearthed and its contents, which included coins, newspapers, pamphlets and handwritten notes, are today one of the first exhibits to greet visitors to Gairloch Museum, which earlier this month was named one of the 2020 museums of the year.

Usually one museum alone takes the title, but in this Covid-damaged year the organisers of the competition decided to double the prize money to £200,000, and to divide it between the five shortlisted museums – which meant Gairloch now ranks alongside the Science Museum, the South London Gallery, Towner Eastbourne and Aberdeen Art Gallery as one of the best visitor attractions of the moment.