![West Highland Museum Fort William](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/West_Highland_Museum_Fort_William.jpg)
The West Highland Museum ( gd, Taigh-tasgaidh na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) tells the story of the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
and
the Islands
The Islands was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared on the hustings in the 1890 British Columbia general election, 1890 provincial election and lasted until it was integrated into the new ...
. It aims to cover every aspect of
West Highland
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
history, including that of
Fort William, where it is located in a listed building in the centre of the town. It also hosts other exhibits for archaeology and wildlife. The museum, which has always been independent, is a member of
Museums Galleries Scotland
Museums Galleries Scotland, formerly the Scottish Museums Council, is the National Development Body for the museum sector in Scotland. It offers support to 400 museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or instit ...
.
History
![Ben Nevis Model t](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Ben_Nevis_Model_t.jpg)
The West Highland Museum was founded in 1922 by Victor Hodgson (1875-1929), who gathered exhibits and books and displayed them in the Public Reading Room in Monzie Square. In 1925 funds were raised and the following year part of the present premises in Cameron Square, the British Linen Bank, was purchased. After more fund raising in the 1960s, an adjacent building to the south was purchased. The Museum is
B listed
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom.
For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland.
Key
The organization of the lists in th ...
and one of the oldest buildings in town.
In response to declining visitor numbers, the museum ceased charging for entry in 2011. In 2010 the museum had 9152 visitors. This rose to 31315 the following year on abolition of entry charges and has increased annually to 60806 in 2019. The museum recorded a million visitors between 1979 and 2014. It now has three part-time paid staff who operate with the support of approximately 40 volunteers.
Collection
![Room 2WHM](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Room_2WHM.jpg)
The museum has eight rooms on three floors, with an extensive collection of exhibits relating to the
Jacobites
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometime ...
, including the 18th century "secret portrait" of
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
which Victor Hodgson found in a London junk shop. Apparently random marks on the base were focused by the cylindrical mirror to show the Prince's image, a painting technique known as
anamorphosis
Anamorphosis is a distorted projection requiring the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point, use special devices, or both to view a recognizable image. It is used in painting, photography, sculpture and installation, toys, and film special e ...
. The mirror would be removed when the owners needed to hide their loyalty. Later royalty is represented by a collection of
Victoriana
Victoriana is a term used to refer to material culture related to the Victorian period (1837–1901). It often refers to decorative objects, but can also describe a variety of artifacts from the era including graphic design, publications, phot ...
, including the regalia gifted by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
to her favourite servant,
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
.
The museum covers
military history
Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships.
Professional historians norma ...
, with a focus on the
Commando Basic Training Centre, set up during the Second World War at
Achnacarry Castle
Achnacarry ( gd, Achadh na Cairidh) is a hamlet, private estate, and a castle in the Lochaber region of the Highlands, Scotland. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy to the east, and Loch Arkaig to the west.
Achna ...
near
Spean Bridge
Spean Bridge ( gd, Drochaid an Aonachain) is a village in the parish of Kilmonivaig, in Lochaber in the Highland region of Scotland.
The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the River Spean on General Wade's military road between F ...
. In 1936, during the demolition of the fort, the museum was gifted the pine panelling of the governor's room, which it used to create its own ''Governor's Room''. This room also contains the birching table belonging to the
burgh
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
(i.e. the
town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
) of Fort William, used to restrain people subject to
judicial corporal punishment
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
;
birching
Birching is a form of corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically applied to the recipient's bare buttocks, although occasionally to the back and/or shoulders.
Implement
A birch rod (often shortened to "birch") is a bundle of leafless t ...
was last used to chastise an offending youth in 1948. The round, mahogany
wine table in this room is reputed to have belonged t
Colonel Hill, Governorof the fort at the time of the
Massacre of Glencoe
The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, alleged ...
in 1692. Hill met
MacIain, chief of the Glen Coe MacDonalds, in the fort prior to the massacre.
The museum displays the material artefacts collected by
Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), the
Gaelic folklorist best known for his six-volume ''
Carmina Gadelica
''Carmina Gadelica'' is a compendium of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings, literary-folkloric poems and songs, proverbs, lexical items, historical anecdotes, natural history observations, and miscellaneous lore gathered in the Gaelic- ...
'', an influential but controversial compendium of edited Highland lore and literature. The museum has a collection of
bagpipes
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...
of interest to scholars. The oldest of these are claimed to have been played at the
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...
in 1314, while another pair was said to have been given to Bonnie Prince Charlie. The experts are sceptical.
Its latest significant acquisition was in November 2020. With grants from
The Art Fund
Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charitable organization, charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for man ...
and The National Fund for Acquisitions (administered by
National Museums Scotland
National Museums Scotland (NMS; gd, Taighean-tasgaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It runs the national museums of Scotland.
NMS is one of the country's National Collections, ...
on behalf of the Scottish government), the museum acquired ''Autumn in Knoydart''. This painting was by Sir
DY Cameron, who was, during his lifetime, a member of the museum. Cameron also raised funds in 1928 for the purchase of the ''Strange Plate'', a Jacobite copper plate for printing bank notes, commissioned by The Prince from Robert Strange and subsequently lost or abandoned. DY Cameron printed a number of notes from the plate and more have been printed in 2021 as part of the museum's planned centenary celebrations.
''The
Rough Guide
Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on customer ...
'' describes the museum as "splendidly idiosyncratic".
Accessibility
Sited in an old building, the museum does present challenges to people with mobility problems. There is, however, a stairlift which enables many visitors with limited mobility to visit both floors of the display area. This can make it possible for wheel chair users to get to the upper floor.
Governance
The West Highland Museum Trust was incorporated as a
company limited by guarantee
In British, Australian, Bermudian, Hong Kong and Irish company law (and previously New Zealand), a company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of corporation used primarily (but not exclusively) for non-profit organisations that require legal pe ...
on 15 November 2017 and has company number 581556. It was also registered as a charity on 24 November 2017 and has the
Scottish charity
The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the regulation of charities in Scotland.
OSCR is the independent regulator and registrar for more than 24,000 Scottish ch ...
number SC 047954.
The West Highland Museum Trust commenced operating the Museum from 1 January 2018, prior to which the governing body was the West Highland Museum, which was administered through a trust deed and had charity number SC 014287.
Awards
In 2021 the museum received the
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, also known as The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service by Groups in the Community and The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award is an annual award given to groups in the voluntary sect ...
. The presentation was made by Donald Cameron of Lochiel, Lord Lieutenant of Inverness-shire.
Future Plans
With support from the
Scottish Land Fund the museum has recently acquired an adjacent shop with a High Street frontage and is currently planning the integration of this building and an old barn to the rear into the museum to provide additional space for exhibitions, storage, education and administration.
[Chris Robinson, ''Lochaber Life'' (Issue 339, January 2022) p22-23]
References
External links
West Highland Museum website
{{coord, 56.8177, -5.1111, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Local museums in Scotland
Museums in Highland (council area)
Fort William, Highland
History of the Scottish Highlands
Jacobitism
1922 establishments in Scotland
Military history of Scotland