Jacobites are a big draw for city’s visitors when visiting Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A tartan wedding dress and the death mask of Bonnie Prince Charlie are just two of the popular exhibits held at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.
Many visitors are also drawn to the Highland capital with an increased interest in the Jacobites thanks to the popularity of TV programmes such as Outlander – and there are plenty of items on show to satisfy their curiosity.
The tourist attraction is operated by High Life Highland and attracts around 50,000 people a year.
John West, the director of culture and learning, said the building was a celebration of the history and culture of the Highlands.
He added: “The primary function of any museum is to preserve and present the historic artefacts in their collections.
At Inverness Museum and Art Gallery though, that is just the very basic start point; High Life Highland believes the crucial thing is how the collections are used to connect with visitors and create an excellent experience.
“The physical artefacts are the ‘coathangers’ on which the museum tells stories, explores mysteries and reveals the past, and the journey to the present, of Inverness and its wider environs.”
Situated in Castle Wynd, right next to Inverness Castle, the building aims to entertain, inform and enthuse everyone who visits through its range of exhibitions, hands-on activities and events.
Inverness Castle is about to undergo a major regeneration project to transform it into a new tourist attraction and the second phase of the project will include building a new museum and art gallery.
High Life Highland this week announced that the Inverness Castle Viewpoint was due to reopen today for the first time since March 20, when it was closed due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr West said: “It is good to see culture right at the heart of the city’s regeneration. As you can imagine, the team is really excited and it is fantastic.”
It is hoped that the regeneration will help drive more tourists and visitors to the city centre and Mr West said because the museum’s collection is linear, it gave them a timeline for Highland history.
Popular stars of the museum’s collections, some because they are of national historic significance and others just because they are well-known and well-loved by regular visitors, include the Pictish stones. Ten class A symbol stones are on display, including the iconic Ardross Wolf, dating from the 6th to 9th centuries.
The Jacobite collection, including Bonnie Prince Charlie’s bronze cast death mask, gives visitors the opportunity to come face-to-face with the most famous Jacobite of all.
Mr West said: “The tartan wedding dress of Isabella MacTavish, who married Malcolm Fraser at Dores in 1785, is the oldest known example in the world of a woman’s tartan gown.”
The item is currently on loan from Isabella’s great-great-great granddaughter Isabel who, remarkably, wore the dress at her own wedding in 1978 and whose daughter, Fiona, also wore it at her wedding in 2005.
Mr West said: “In addition to the old favourites, there are also regularly changing, temporary ‘pop-up’ displays at the museum, so there is always something new to see.”
Current displays include: On the Moors, an oil painting by Richard Ansdell RA, dated 1865, and a mini-exhibition about Inverness Fiddlers Society, featuring a specially commissioned trophy by renowned London-based silversmith Stuart Devlin.
Mr West said: “In addition to independent drop-in visits, in order to build positive, ongoing relationships with the local community and to engage new audiences, the museum and art gallery also delivers targeted opportunities with various third sector organisations, community groups and schools and colleges.”
He said the museum had also established House of Memories which is an ongoing, activity based project to help people living with dementia and their carers.
The art gallery programme includes diverse and regularly changing visual arts exhibitions, from the ultra-contemporary such as Rachel Maclean and Ross Sinclair to ‘Old Masters’, including Gainsborough, Titian and Landseer.
Currently on display in the main gallery is Memorial, which is an exhibition by the renowned, Ullapool based artist Peter White.
Over the coming months the programme in the main gallery will feature an autumn exhibition curated from the permanent collection.
During early winter there will be a display called Ultima Thule – a sculpture by the established Highland artist Lucy Woodley.
Late winter will feature Meet, Make, Collaborate – an exhibition, in collaboration with Applied Arts Scotland, which will showcase new work from the most innovative craft makers.
And spring sees The Printed Line, which is an exhibition from the prestigious Hayward Gallery exploring the masters of printmaking from the 20th century up to the present day.
The museum and art gallery reopened its doors on August 4 – it was one of the first civic museums in Scotland to do so.
Mr West said: “A gradual and cautious approach is being taken to reopening, to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for each and every visitor, for the staff and the wider community. A number of special measures are in place to achieve that.”
These include: limited numbers admitted on a pre-booked, time slot basis which is bookable online; reduced opening hours; social distancing and the use of face coverings.
Mr West said there was an enhanced cleaning regime including a daily closure period, between 1pm and 1.45pm for extra cleaning.
He said: “Currently the café is closed but this will be kept under review going forward. The shop is open as usual.”
