At the mouth of the River Ness, Inverness is the administrative capital for the Highlands and a popular tourist destination.
It is one of the oldest towns in Scotland dating from 585AD, when it was a Pictish stronghold. The vitrified fort of Craig Phadrig on the western edge of the city was the reputed stronghold of the Pictish king, Brude. St Columba is also credited with visiting in an attempt to convert the king. A church or a monk's cell is thought to have been established by early Celtic monks on St Michael's Mount, a mound close to the river, now the site of the Old High Church and its graveyard.
By the C12th, Inverness was an important burgh protected by its castle and was granted a Royal Charter by King David I in the C12th. Inverness was a flourishing port based on fishing and ship building.
Inverness was a prime target for both the Scots and the English. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, control of the castle was hotly contested, before being seized by Robert the Bruce in 1307. There were many raids particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles who burned and destroyed the town.
In 1562, Mary Queen of Scots was denied admittance to Inverness Castle.
A stone bridge was built across the river, replacing an earlier wooden bridge that had collapsed.
Following the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell built a citadel nearer the mouth of the river which he felt was a more strategic site than that of the castle. Capable of accommodating 1000 men but, with the exception of part of the ramparts, it was demolished when Charles II was restored to the throne. The stone was used to build Dunbar’s Hospital.
Inverness played an important role in the Jacobite rebellions of the C18th. During the uprising of 1715, the Castle was occupied by the Jacobites but they fled after Hanoverian supporters threatened to raze it to the ground.
Bonnie Prince Charlie recaptured the castle in 1745 but, fearing it would fall into the hands of the British Government, he ordered it to be blown up.
Inverness continued to be a busy port and market town in the later C18th. Shipbuilding, rope making, sail making, tanning and wool were still important as well as a flourishing brewing and whisky industry. The first bank in Inverness opened in 1775.
The Caledonian canal was built in 1822 to link east and west Scotland The railway arrived in 1855 making it easier to transport goods to the rest of Britain. It also began to bring visitors to the town. These included wealthy businessmen and aristocrats, all keen to try their hand at deer hunting and salmon fishing, as well as Queen Victoria,
Its increasing wealth was used to fund a public building programme, including the Royal Northern Infirmary, the Town House, West Church on Bishop’s Road, St Andrew’s Cathedral and new bridges across the river.
A new courthouse and jail were built on the site of the derelict castle. This was constructed in two phases, the courthouse in the 1830s and the prison in the 1840s. The perimeter walls were built in 1839.
The British cabinet met outside London for the first time in 1921 when it gathered in Inverness Castle.
A landslip in 1932 caused the collapse of the restraining wall, damaging buildings below. These were cleared leaving the sloping bank seen today.
Inverness continues to be a busy port with oil and timber. It is still an important regional centre and tourism is very important. Millions of pounds was spent on streetscape works in 2006-07 to revamp the Old Town and bring more people into the area. The Sheriff’s Court and Tribunal Service moved to new purpose built premises in 2020.
The castle is now undergoing a multimillion pound refurbishment as a new visitor attraction planned to open in 2025, with eating and shopping as well immersive experiences about the landscape, heritage, culture and people, surrounded by landscaped gardens.
Inverness is a large well laid out city and the regional centre for the Highlands with wide streets lined with impressive buildings. It has a thriving shopping centre with a good choice of accommodation and places to eat. It does however have the reputation of a’marmite’ town - people either love it or hate it. Whatever your views, it does make a good centre for exploring the area.
There is a historic town trail as well as a walk along the river to Ness Islands, a collection of small islands in the middle of the River Ness, connected by Victorian suspension bridges.
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