The Governor's room

The Governor's room

Military

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 Fort William and dates back to 1690. This was a strategic strong hold at the southern end of the Great Glen. Built in 1654 it was named Fort William, after King William III. The fort gained notoriety for its role in the infamous Glen Coe Massacre of 1692. It was unsuccessfully besieged by the Jacobites during the uprising of 1745, and served as a disembarkation point for those leaving Scotland during the Highland Clearances. When the old fort at Fort William was demolished, the wooden panelling from the Governor's house dining room was dismantled and re-erected inside the museum in 1937. Money for restoration was raised by a public appeal. When the layers of paper and colour wash had been scraped off the original eau de nil colour was revealed. The panelling was then restored to this original 17th century colouring. This room is very popular with Outlander fans because it featured in the first novel. Inside the room is a round mahogany Cromwellian wine table. It is reputed to have belonged to Colonel Hill, who was Governor of Fort William during the Massacre of Glencoe. There are other objects on display in the room relating to the old fort including the iron door key to the Governor's house and the lock to the gate of the old fort.

Stuart

objects,military

1690

eulac3d

Physical Object

76

11/10/2021

L 5000 mm x 4270 mm (room) H 838 mm x Diam 787 mm (wine table) L 203 mm (room key) H 300 mm x W 600 mm (lock)

West Highland Museum

find,56.8214203,-5.1077565;

West Highlands Museum

TEXT

230

wood

770B