History of Inverness

Inverness is the administrative center for the Highland region, which consists of the old counties of Inverness, Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness. The town has benefited from its sheltered position at the mouth of the Moray Firth and at the northeastern end of the Caledonian Canal. In the sixth century ... More

Inverness was the residence of Pictish kings and in 565 St Columba visited the town to pay his respects to Brude, king of the Picts. Given the town's favorable location at the gateway to the Northwest Highlands, Inverness has become a busy tourist center and it makes a good starting point for excursions.

Tourist Attractions in Inverness

Abertarff House
Church Street can boast Inverness's oldest building, Abertarff House, which was built as a town residence for the Lovat family in 1592. Note the remarkable outside staircase. It was restored by the National Trust for Scotland in 1966 and it now serves as their Highlands region head office. The Highland Association, an organization whose aim is to advance the Gaelic culture and language, is also based at the house.

Beauly Priory
Beauly (pop. 1,500; 12mi/19.2km west of Inverness) owes its title "beau lieu" to the magnificent location of a priory which was founded by French Valliscaulian monks ca. 1230. The west portal and sections of the main nave (restored in the 16th C by Bishop Robert Reid) have survived and the fine tracery on three windows of the south side dates from the 13th C.

Clava Cairns
Clava Cairns on the south side of the River Nairn have nothing to do with the battle. The mounds of stone surrounded by stone rings probably date from ca. 1800-1500 B.C. and are among the best preserved of their kind in Scotland.

Old Leanach Cottage, the last farmer's cottage from the days of the battle has been faithfully restored and the melancholic sound of the Gaelic folk song "Mo run gealog" (My beautiful young darling) drifts from its rooms. Cumberland Stone marks the spot at the eastern edge of the battlefield where the Duke of Cumberland is said to have issued the orders to his troops. The whole field is strewn with stones which bear witness to the dead. For example, the Keppoch Stone (accessible from the northern footpath) indicates the spot where Alastair MacDonell the head of the Keppoch clan fell, and another recalls the Irish Wild Geese (mercenaries in the service of the French crown who fought on the side of the Highlanders). The "English Stone" (west of Old Leanach Cottage) commemorates the dead who fought alongside Cumberland.

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
The museum on Castle Wynd illustrates Inverness's rich cultural heritage and also the history of the Highlands.

Fort George
After the Battle of Culloden (1746) a huge artillery fortress was built on a headland west of Nairn in order to keep the defeated Highlanders in check. As well as extensive military installations, the fort also houses the regimental museum of the Queen's Own Highlanders.

Fishertown Museum
The Nairn Fishertown Museum in King Street documents the rise and fall of the herring industry using models and old photographs.

Flora MacDonald Statue
A statue on the Esplanade recalls the part Flora MacDonald played in helping "Bonnie Prince Charlie" to escape through enemy lines after the disaster at Culloden.

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