West Highland Museum

It aims to cover every aspect of West Highland history, including that of Fort William, where it is located in a listed building in the centre of the town.

[1] 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.

The museum has eight rooms on three floors, with an extensive collection of exhibits relating to the Jacobites, including the 18th century "secret portrait" of Bonnie Prince Charlie which Victor Hodgson found in a London junk shop.

[6] Apparently random marks on the base were focused by the cylindrical mirror to show the Prince's image, a painting technique known as anamorphosis.

[8] Later royalty is represented by a collection of Victoriana, including the regalia gifted by Queen Victoria to her favourite servant, John Brown.

The museum covers military history, focusing on the Commando Basic Training Centre, set up during the Second World War at Achnacarry Castle near Spean Bridge.

[9] The round, mahogany wine table in this room is reputed to have belonged to Colonel John Hill,[10] Governor of the fort at the time of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692.

[11] The museum displays the material artefacts collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), the Gaelic folklorist best known for his six-volume Carmina Gadelica, an influential but controversial compendium of edited Highland lore and literature.