The Scottish Maritime Museum celebrates the achievements of the past year and opportunities to come as Director David Mann retires and former Curator and current Vice Chair of Museums Galleries Scotland, Matthew Bellhouse Moran steps into his shoes.

Mann leaves after 12 years at the helm of the nationally recognised maritime heritage collection on Irvine Harbourside and a particularly strong past year.

Overall, the Museum’s collection, events, exhibitions, Boat Shop and Puffers Café Bistro attracted over 100,000 visits to the Harbourside between March 2024 and March 2025 with additional benefits for local businesses and community.

The national heritage collection was significantly enriched with 651 objects including a kayak used by double-Olympian Alistair Wilson during the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Ten large industrial objects were also conserved in house including the triple expansion steam engine from the vessel ‘Sandchime’, the Kingston Dock swing bridge steam engine and the Alloa swing bridge engine.

Over the past year at Irvine and the Museum’s second site in Dumbarton, the visitor experience was enhanced by 30 gallery exhibitions and events including popular artisan and food and drink markets.

Through the Learning & Access Programme, 1,782 primary school pupils and teachers visited to explore Scotland’s contribution to shipbuilding engineering and design across the world and 939 people engaged with family learning activities. The Museum also produced new sensory bags and created a new Access Plan. These complement the current Audio Guides and monthly ‘Quiet Openings’.

Through the Community Programme, 2,043 children and adults attended clubs and 1,044 people engaged in three co-created community exhibitions. These included the Secret of Success exhibition developed with the North Ayrshire Ukrainian Community.

Through the Volunteer & Work Placement Programme, 30 new volunteers brought the total of active volunteers to 60. Together, they dedicated 3,380 hours to helping operate the Museum and preserve the collection.

In the Museum’s Scottish Boat Building School, 12 new volunteers learned traditional boatbuilding skills spending 2,040 hours helping preserve the historic vessels. The Museum also supported local DYW secondary school placements and university placements.

Last but not least, the Museum reached new audiences by featuring on BBC One’s ‘Repair Shop on the Road’, BBC Radio 4’s ‘Any Questions?’ and Susan Calman’s ‘Grand Day Out’ on Channel 5. The Museum’s Facebook and Instagram platforms also attracted over 1.4 million views.

David Mann, outgoing Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, looks back:

My deepest thanks go to every visitor who has come to the Museum to enjoy, and learn more about, Scotland’s huge influence on maritime design. In so doing, they have also helped safeguard this amazing and invaluable heritage collection into the future.

“Over the past 20 years, there have been many great projects, exhibitions and events bringing the collection to life in new and exciting ways but I am most proud of helping develop the team which has driven them to fruition.

“I’m particularly proud of those who are currently doing a fantastic job at the Museum. They are passionate about the collection and engaging more people to enjoy it. The high calibre of projects, events and exhibitions they produce across the year has been key to growing the Museum into one of Scotland’s great attractions.

“I’m also proud of former employees who have gone on to great careers in the sector of which Matthew is a perfect example. I couldn’t hand over the reins to anyone with more vision, commitment and expertise for driving the Museum through the next exciting phase of development.”

Matthew Bellhouse Moran, the new Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, adds:

I am delighted to return to the Scottish Maritime Museum which has an amazing collection, team and outreach programme, and to take forward exciting plans to develop the new waterfront gallery.

“David will be a hard act to follow but I am delighted to be taking over a museum which he has led to success and looking to the future.”

David Mann first joined the Scottish Maritime Museum Trust in 2005 as Clydebuilt Visitor Services Manager. He became Operations Manager of the Scottish Maritime Museum in 2008 and Acting Director in 2012 before becoming Director and a Trustee in 2013.

Matthew Bellhouse Moran most recently led the Unicorn Preservation Society through significant organisational change and led on the development of Project Safe Haven, the multi-million pound project to relocate HMS Unicorn, the oldest ship in Scotland, to Dundee’s East Graving Dock. Prior to that, he was a Curator at the Scottish Maritime Museum for five years.

As Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, Moran will also be responsible for overseeing the development of a major new waterside gallery and events space in partnership with North Ayrshire Council and the Crown Estate Scotland. The planned Maritime Heritage Hub is part of The Great Harbour, an ambitious £14million regeneration project for Irvine Harbourside.

Issued on behalf of the Scottish Maritime Museum by
Joanna Harrison, Mobile: 07884 187404

NOTES TO EDITORS – The Scottish Maritime Museum

• The Scottish Maritime Museum is home to Scotland’s nationally recognised collection of maritime heritage, a national maritime art collection and the Scottish Boat Building School
• The collection includes some of Scotland’s most historic vessels, the country’s largest collection of shipbuilding tools as well as engineering and inventions which influenced maritime history across the world
• Vessels include MVKyles, the oldest Clyde-built vessel still afloat in the UK and recognised as one of Britain’s most important historic vessels; MV Spartan, the only surviving Scottish-built ‘puffer’ in Scotland; and SY Carola, possibly the world’s oldest seagoing steam yacht
• The Scottish Maritime Museum has two sites – on the Harbourside in Irvine, North Ayrshire, and in Dumbarton
• The Museum in Irvine is housed within the Linthouse, a vast, Victorian, glass-roofed and A listed building which was formerly the Linthouse Engine Shop of Alexander Stephen and Sons Shipyard in Govan
• The Museum in Dumbarton is located on the site of the innovative Victorian William Denny Shipyard and features the world’s first commercial ship model experiment tank, the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank