HIGHLAND MUSEUMS
There are a surprising number of museums in the Highlands and Islands, most of which are independently run and, like our own, highly dependent on visitors for their survival. Here are the links to their web sites:-
Applecross Heritage Centre - their exhibition endeavours to share with you the ways in which we can find clues and evidence to unlock the past. Come back in time with us as we peel back the layers which reveal the fascinating and remarkable story of Applecross...
Caithness Horizons, Thurso - houses a permanent collection that tells the story of the county of Caithness from 416 million years ago to the present day including the Picts, the Vikings and the history of the Dounreay Nuclear Research Establishment...
Clan Cameron Museum, Spean Bridge, nr Fort William - exhibits and displays illustrating the history of clan Cameron from 14th century to present day...
Clan Macpherson Museum, Newtonmore - exhibits and displays illustrating the history of clan Macpherson, very good online access available...
Cromarty Courthouse Museum - houses fascinating exhibitions about the historic town of Cromarty, which are FREE to visit. The courtroom scene has life-like figures and audio enactment to tell the story of a trial, the other rooms tell the history of Cromarty and each year there are special exhibitions and displays...
Culloden Battlefield - The new centre (2007) and exhibition allows the whole Culloden story to be told in an innovative and interactive way which appeals to all the family...
Dingwall Museum - presents many local artefacts and fascinating tales of human exploits which are unique to Dingwall within a landmark building, once the centre of local government. Free entry...
Dunbeath Heritage Centre - provides a focus for the work of Dunbeath Preservation Trust: a research base; a repository for research data, manuscripts, photographs and items of local material culture; an exhibition and interpretation space; a venue for lectures, storytelling and workshops; a gathering place for local people and visitors...
Gairloch Heritage Museum - takes you on a journey through time showing how local people lived and worked in Gairloch through the ages...
Glenfinnan Station Museum - enjoy a great day out in this highland rail museum complete with dining car, sleeping car and railway shop!...
Grantown Museum - tells the story of the town’s beginnings and is a source of great pride to the people of Grantown,traditional home of the Clan Grant. Temporary exhibitions are also a regular feature. The museum also houses the archives of the Grantown Society and provides research facilities for genealogy and local history...
Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore - gives visitors a flavour of how Highland people lived and worked from the 1700s up until the 1960s by displaying over 30 historical buildings and furnishing them appropriate to their time period. The site is a mile long with a 1700s Township (featuring 6 houses) at one end through to a 1930s working croft at the other. There is an on site cafe, gift shop and a fantastic children’s playground...
Highland Museum of Childhood, Strathpeffer - tells the story of childhood across the Highlands of Scotland, the displays reflecting the stories of children, crofters and townsfolk and exploring the customs and traditions. Themes include Birth and Baptism, Health and Nutrition, Toys and Games and Education...
The Highlanders' Museum, Fort George - is the largest regimental museum in Scotland, outside of Edinburgh and covers three floors of Fort George’s former Lieutenant Governors’ House. The museum has roughly 20,000 artefacts and an estimated 10,000 documents and photographs. The Highlanders are the descendents of four famous Scottish Regiments originally raised from the Clans and communities of the Highlands and Islands in the late 1700’s...
Historylinks Museum, Dornoch - to overcome the physical limitations of this small museum, Historylinks is making increasing use of digital technology to provide access to additional images relevant to its displays...
Hugh Miller's Birthplace Cottage & Museum, Cromarty - celebrates prominent 19th-century Highland polymath, Hugh Miller – an eminent geologist, writer and social commentator. Today the Georgian villa, Miller House, is a museum which presents his life and work, while the iconic thatched fisherman’s cottage beside it was his birthplace and early home. A peaceful garden and picturesque courtyard completes the visitor experience...
Inverness Museum & Art Gallery - learn about Scottish history and discover how the Highlands are linked with the rest of the world. Experience Highland contemporary art and crafts – or just browse around before enjoying a cup of tea in the newly renovated Cafe...
Mallaig Heritage Centre - a treasure trove of stories, films, collections and displays, all telling the story of West Lochaber, its people and landscape...
Moidart History House - a small interpretation centre opened in 2011 showcases some of the excellent work of the Moidart Local History Group. Areas of interest include religion, archaeology, agriculture, education, culture, history, townships and places and place names...
Museum of the Isles, Armadale, Isle of Skye - six interconnecting galleries, each with their own theme, take you through 1500 years of the history and culture of the area once known as the Kingdom of the Isles. The MacDonalds – or Clan Donald – were the Lords of the Isles and sit at the heart of the history of Gaeldom and the museum follows their story and that of the Highlands. A seventh gallery hosts an exhibition that changes each year...
Nairn Museum - offers visitors a fascinating insight into the life and times of the town and surrounding area over the centuries. in addition a huge collection of archive material is available for study and each year there is also a special programme of visiting exhibitions...
The Russian Arctic Convoy Museum Project - a small team of committed volunteers are working hard to create a multi-site museum around the shores of Loch Ewe dedicated to the Arctic Convoys. Loch Ewe was a hive of activity during WW2 and it was the point of departure for many of the convoys bound for Russia...
Strathnaver Museum, Bettyhill - situated on the north coast of Scotland the museum is based in the former Parish Church of Columba in Bettyhill. Its main theme is the tragic story of the Highland Clearances, it has a room dedicated to the Clan Mackay and also tells the story of crofting life. The ancient Pictish Farr Stone is situated nearby...
Tain Through Time - the museum's collection consists of artefacts relating to the social history of the area, documents, photographs and a particularly fine collection of Tain Silver...
Tarbat Discovery Centre, Portmahomack - dedicated to displaying and preserving the heritage of the Tarbat peninsula. Housed in the refurbished Old Parish Church, it is the site of the only Pictish monastic settlement excavated in Scotland to date. The Centre displays many of the artefacts uncovered during the extensive archaeological investigations of the site along with local exhibitions, parish records, photographic archives and more...
Timespan, Helmsdale - developed from a small local heritage centre to an award-winning museum and the only public contemporary art gallery in Sutherland. Timespan is a cultural development organisation and a creative hub...
Ullapool Museum - occupies a unique and near complete church building designed by Thomas Telford in the 1820’s and collects, promotes and preserves the history and heritage of Lochbroom...
The West Highland Museum, Fort William - the collections tell the story of the West Highland region and its history. The most renowned and unusual collection relates to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause but there is also a wealth of curious and fascinating collections relating to less well-known aspects of the lives of the people of the region...
Wick Heritage Museum - Wick's Heritage is graphically documented in an award-winning Museum, a beautifully restored 19th century fishing boat, the unique 'Johnston Collection' revealing 112 years of social history captured by a family of local photographers - and much, much more...
