Group in bid to find historic Royal Northern Infirmary artefacts
PIECES of Inverness history have disappeared and their owners are stumped as to where they have gone.
Historic boards detailing the names of major donors once hung in the entrance of the Royal Northern Infirmary, which opened in Inverness in 1804.
But the boards have vanished at some point in the past.
And health bosses admit they have been unable to track the boards down after the issue was raised by a local historian. A book detailing the names of other contributors has also gone missing.
They have promised to continue looking for them.
Highlands and Islands Scottish Labour MSP David Stewart has taken up the case, describing the items as important pieces of the city’s history.
The disappearance of the boards and the book was first noticed by Bill Anderson, chairman of the Inverness Local History Forum, about two years ago. Despite quizzing various organisations including NHS Highland, the University of the Highlands and Islands, the building’s current owner, and the city’s central library, he felt he had "hit a brick wall".
"I think it is absolutely shocking that they seem to have disappeared, especially as they are of historical significance," a bemused Mr Anderson said. "They are off the radar. It just beggars belief."
He thought the boards could have been made soon after completion of the hospital, which overlooks the River Ness.
"Everyone knew they were there and people talked about them," he said. "People also looked at the book which was in a case in the entrance."
Mr Anderson said the hospital’s development by public subscription would have been quite forward thinking at the time. Many major donors were traders and merchants who made their fortunes from the slave trade.
"I suppose back then the attitude to the slave trade was different – that was the way it was," he reflected. "It was how major players in Inverness made their money. They operated in places like Grenada and the West Indies. They were very influential."
The hospital relied on the generosity of the public until the establishment of the National Health Service after World War II.
David Stewart shares Mr Anderson’s concerns and has written to NHS Highland which had informed him it was unable to trace them.
"This is, simply, not good enough," he said. "These boards are an important piece of the history of Inverness and should not have been discarded like pieces of driftwood."
Mr Stewart appealed for any information which might lead to their rediscovery.
Eric Green, NHS Highland’s head of estates, said: "This is something we have been looking at for some time but I am afraid we have been unable to track these items down.
"Our search has obviously not been helped by the fact that personnel who may have been involved in their storage are no longer with us and we have been unable to source any records of their whereabouts.
"However, we appreciate that these are items of historic interest which is why we will continue in our efforts to find them."