The town plan of Inverness is sourced from a 1929 guide book, and provides easy, ready reference to the sites portrayed in the vintage images.
Describing Inverness in the 1950s, Daphne Mould wrote:
... the River Ness a silver ribbon through its heart; a red sandstone castle above the stream; the Highland hills to the one side and the blue water of the Moray Firth and the fertile eastern lowlands upon the other. The Capital of the Highlands it has been styled, and yet, strictly speaking, it stands outside the mountain country proper, on the border line between the hills to the west and the lowlands to the east.
These words from over sixty years ago still ring true. Inverness is the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, where beautiful landscapes merge with a dramatic past. Historically it is one of the oldest towns in Scotland and has been the junction of ancient trade routes since AD 565.
Situated at the head of the Moray Firth and the mouth of the Great Glen Inverness is a terminus and starting point for travel and traffic, living up to its other appellation; the Hub of the Highlands.
Inverness was only granted city status in 2000, but it has always been considered the Highland capital irrespective of such distinctions. In fact, in the sixth century it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom. For centuries, Inverness has been central to the passing parade of historical intrigue, tragedy and triumph of the great Scottish Highland clans.
While this Royal and Ancient Burgh is recorded as going back thousands of years, it doesn’t look like an old town today. Little remains of its long history because it was sacked and burned so many times. Inverness developed on the eastern shore of the River Ness around the Castle Street, Church Street, High Street, and Bridge Street area, although there were also houses along the west bank. The gardens behind these houses were gradually built over, with narrow closes for access, some of which still survive.
In the twelfth century the main street ran north to south, linking the castle to the church. Three other routes converged on the tollbooth where the markets would take place in what later became known as the Exchange. At this time there was a flourishing trade in fish, wool and furs. The high street became a centre for merchants. Early houses were built with booths which opened onto the street, in front of which sat people from the town displaying their wares on the ground.
From the thirteenth century there was a shipbuilding industry here too, as Inverness was also a busy port during the Middle Ages. Nearby is the site of the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil, and during the years which followed the Forty-Five Rebellion trade supplanted war and the town began to acquire its modern aspect. The events of the past had left little of its ancient structures, but new buildings were taking their place.
There were no cobbles in the streets, no public drains or water supply before about 1830. Epidemics, including cholera, occurred from time to time. The houses were mostly thatched, and this, together with the congestion, led to frequent fires.
The castle was again rebuilt in 1834 and, to facilitate trade the Caledonian Canal, opened in 1822. The disastrous flood of 1849, which swept away the seven-arched stone bridge built in 1684, completely submerged low-lying areas for three days.
The basic street layout of yesteryear still exists, but the modernisation and developments between the 1950s and 1970s saw much of old Inverness disappear. As John Pearson wrote in 1987, ‘In many a case these new buildings have contributed little to the townscape and character of the town compared with the buildings they replaced.’
In fact, one sad note about the present volume is that one of the most oft-used words contained in the text is ‘demolished’. There are exceptions, including a house which dates from 1592 and Dunbar’s Hospital of 1688, both in Church Street.
Inverness is the largest conurbation and is the main service and administrative centre for the region but not formally a capital of anything. However, with an enviable central location at the mouth of the River Ness on the Moray Firth, Inverness will always provide a magnet for visitors and shoppers from all points of the globe.
In the words of Neil M. Gunn, ‘No one can say he has seen Scotland who has not seen the Highlands, and no one can say he has been to the Highlands who has not stopped to sample its spirit in Inverness.’
The town plan of Inverness is sourced from a 1929 guide book, and provides easy, ready reference to the sites portrayed in the vintage images.