Inverness Museum and Art Gallery

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery stands on Castle Wynd in Inverness, a town in the Highlands of Scotland. The building houses both a museum and an art gallery, managed by High Life Highland for Highland Council. It replaced earlier collections that had moved through several locations since 1825. The current site was developed after the Castle Wynd area was cleared in 1963. The museum has undergone two major redevelopments, one in 1982 and another in 2006. The museum’s collection focuses on Highland history and heritage. On the ground floor, displays cover Scottish geology, natural history, and Highland archaeology, including Pictish stones. The first floor presents more recent Highland history with Jacobite memorabilia, Inverness silver, Highland weapons, and bagpipes. Temporary exhibitions are also held on the first floor. A notable addition is a stuffed puma, captured in Inverness-shire in 1980, believed to have been an abandoned pet. Visitors find well-organised galleries with clear themes. The ground floor introduces the region’s natural and ancient past. Upstairs, the history of the Highlands unfolds through objects tied to Jacobite uprisings and local craftsmanship. The puma, a curious exhibit, draws attention for its unusual story. The museum offers a quiet space to explore Highland life across centuries.