Teachers

Why Visit Duff House?

Because:

• It contains works on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland and is a unique example of Baroque architecture.
• It is the only place in the north east of Scotland where masterpieces by artists such as Gainsborough, Allan Ramsay and El Greco can be seen.
• The collection is extensive and includes highly decorative furniture, tapestries and other objects d’art.
• The House has a fascinating history and has been restored to reflect the various different periods of its use.
• The house is also a lively centre for arts activities with an ongoing programme of exhibitions and special events which can be linked in with your visit.
• The richness of the history and contents of the house means that there is a great deal of scope for the study of different topics at both Primary and Secondary Level.  

Each painting or item on display at Duff House is a valuable source of historical evidence. Paintings can reveal a window on to other lives or a story. Works can be an inspiration for creativity, a display of artistic skill as well as being a physical object, a collection of pigments, canvas or wood. When looked at in this way, the educational potential becomes enormous and very exciting!Teachers are encouraged to take groups around themselves and should make a preparatory visit but if you plan your visit in advance we will try and give your class an introductory talk. If you are bringing more than one class, or just want to make a day of it, Duff House has its own woodland walk and play park. Also in the area and within walking distance is the historic town of Banff and Banff museum, one of Scotland's oldest museums, founded in 1828. Please call 01771 622807 for further details. Macduff Marine Aquarium is also nearby and, if time allows, a good place to include on your visit to the area. Information on all these resources is available on this website.

The Long Gallery on the third floor of the House is available to school groups for teaching or activities but must be booked in advance.

In order to prepare your visit you may like to consider looking at the following publications which are available for sale in the Shop. Duff House at War by Allan Burnett tells the story about the House’s fascinating past during the Second World War is suitable for Secondary School age pupils and local author Maggie Craig’s Footsteps on the stairs, which is aimed at adults but presents stories about the House in an accessible manner. Two books especially aimed at younger ages is Kenneth C Steven’s The World from the Window, a lively children’s story with beautiful illustrations and suitable for P3 + and our very own guidebook, Duff House through the ages, produced by local school children. This is available in the Shop free of charge.

There are also various free quizzes available in the Shop on a variety of themes. With some notice we can also provide clipboards and pencils for a class and crayons, glue sticks, paper, coloured pencils, scissors, etc.