Browse Items (502 total)

This is a silver baluster snuff mull with the heraldic arms of Cluny MacPherson set within a foliated scroll formed cartouche. The museum purchased…

This hard-tartan box pleated Stuart kilt in the Duke of Rothesay tartan and is said to have been worn by the Sobieski brothers. The tartan is their…

These are two silver Spanish pieces of eight found in Tobermory Bay off the Isle of Mull. The coins made an unusual journey to arrive in the West…

This spinning wheel used for spinning thread or yarn from fibres was made in the French pattern, and was gifted to the West Highland Museum along with…

By the late 1890s a unique system of mail dispatch had developed on the remote Scottish archipelago of St Kilda. Letters were enclosed in a waterproof…

This leather-bound stalker’s telescope has been selected because of its association with the Highlands. It is a typical example of equipment ghillies…

Stills

These images were created as part of the Highland Threads digital exhibition - an online collection curated from fourteen Highland museum collections…

This Neolithic stone axe was found at Keppoch near Roy Bridge in 1876. It came into the museum’s collection in 1936. Axes were adapted for many uses…

Stone Axe 3D

Stone axe 3D model

A hard tartan jacket made in Uist. With linen lined sleeves. The colourful tartan lining differs between the skirts and bodice. It is a fantastic…

This gun by tradition is the Appin murder weapon. The Appin murder took place on 14 May 1752 in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. It is an…

This decorative dirk is part of a Highland outfit. In addition to the blade there is small knife and fork that fit neatly into the leather scabbard.…

This object is a bit of a mystery. Known as the Clanranald Anvil, it probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century. It is a very heavy irregular…

Said to have been made more than 800 years ago, the Faery bagpipes of Kinlochmoidart, are very special as they are thought to be one of the oldest set…

A large round boulder with a hole bored partially through it. This is a stone with an iconic history. It was originally from Glenfinnan and by…

This is the largest object in the West Highland Museum collection and maybe one of the most intriguing. It came from the old fort (An Gearasdan) at…

This basket hilted broadsword dates from either the late 17th or early 18th century. Basket-hilts were swords with a basket-shaped guard to protect…

Prince Charles Edward Stuart's (1720 - 1788) death mask. Thought to be a copy of an original made by Barnar dina Lucchesi, one of a family of…

A tooth mounted in a hand-carved ivory frame. The tooth is said to have belonged to Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 - 1788). It is very rare and…

An anamorphic hidden painting of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 - 1788). At first glance the object appears to be a smear of oil paints on a…

Blog looking at the history of the mort safe

A copper printing plate commissioned by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 - 1788) in 1746. Designed and etched by the artist Robert Strange (1721…

Print made by the prominent Scottish artist and etcher Sir D Y Cameron (1865 -1945). In 1928 The Strange Plate came into the museum’s collection,…

This unimposing curved stool made from a tree root has a fascinating history. A label attached to the object states “Stool on which Prince Charlie sat…

Tree root stool 3D

3D model of tree root stool

A two-sided chair with an embroidered velvet seat said to have been used by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 - 1788). The embroidered inscription…

Two pairs of pistols that belonged to Lochaber man Major James MacFarlane (1774 - 1849) who worked in India with the Honourable East India Company.…

This blackthorn walking stick is special for its association with the 1745 Rising. Soon after Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 - 1788) first arrived…

West Highland Museum

The West Highland Museum 100 project showcases digital cultural heritage from the Western Highlands of Scotland. This collaboration between West…

A catalogue for the 1925 West Highland Museum’s exhibition titled “Prince Charles Edward and the ’45 Campaign”. The West Highland Museum was founded…

This glass bottle contains a fine whisky said to be almost 200 years old. The faded label reads "from Jas. Young, Family Grocer, Wine & Spirit…

This pot still has a mysterious history. It was found abandoned anonymously on the steps of the museum in the 1920s. The damage was caused by some…

WHM sequence with sound

These images were created as part of the Highland Threads digital exhibition - an online collection curated from fourteen Highland museum collections…

WHM100: Art

The museum has an important collection of fine art and photography in its collections from the 18th to 20th centuries. It was difficult to choose…

WHM100: Highland Life

The rugged landscape and geographical isolation of much of the Scottish Highlands made it a relatively inaccessible place for much of its political…

WHM100: Jacobite

Lochaber is known as the cradle of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. It was here at Glenfinnan that Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his father’s Standard to…

WHM100: Military

The museum is located in Fort William. The town is named for the fort built here in 1690 and the area has historically been of great strategic and…

WHM100: Prehistory

Our fascinating archaeology collection includes ancient pottery and metalwork, arrowheads and stonework, salvage from the wreck of a Spanish Galleon,…

WHM100: Sport

Sport has always been pursued enthusiastically in the Highlands and participants often take advantage of our unique landscape, whether it be for…

WHM100: Victorian

The perception of the Highlands changed radically during the Victorian era. Queen Victoria popularised Highland culture and the growth of the road and…

Small wooden bowl possibly for soup of porridge. It was found in the Governor's House at Fort William when the fort was demolished in 1938.

Wooden bowl 3D

wooden bowl from Governor's House.