Inverness Museum & Art Gallery

The Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is the oldest museum in the Highlands of Scotland region and one of the oldest in the UK. Its origins date back to 1825, when the Northern Institution for the Promotion of Science and Literature was founded to promote interest in science and history. In its infancy, the museum’s collection was diverse and sometimes eccentric, featuring items like a 24-foot boa constrictor skin and medieval bishop's gloves.

The museum first opened on Inglis Street in 1826. Following the dissolution of the Northern Institution in 1835, the collection moved through several temporary locations, including the Inverness Royal Academy, the Mechanics Institute, and the Town Hall. In 1876, the Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club took charge of the collections, which had suffered significant losses. A permanent home was established through public fundraising, and notable contributors included Queen Victoria, who donated £50, the 2026 equivalent of £ 7,500.

Architect Alexander Ross (1834-1925) designed the first purpose-built museum on Castle Wynd, which opened in 1881. It initially shared space with a library and an art school. Around the turn of the century, the museum shifted its focus toward Highland and Jacobite history to attract tourists. In 1907, Thomas Wallace was appointed curator specifically to develop this collection. In 1963, the original building was demolished as part of the redevelopment of the Castle Wynd and Bridge Street areas. The museum then moved into its current concrete and glass Modernist building, which it shared with the town library until 1981. The following year, new galleries and a cafe were added, and in 2007, a £1.3 million makeover was completed to coincide with the Year of Highland Culture.

The ground floor of the building is dedicated to geology, natural history, archaeology and features a world-class collection of Pictish symbol stones from the early Middle Ages. The first floor houses the renowned Jacobite collection, including Bonnie Prince Charlie’s death mask and Stuart family memorabilia donated by Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh (1868-1926). The art gallery features rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and crafts alongside permanent works by Scottish landscape painters such as Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840) and JMW Turner (1775-1851).

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