Lost Inverness

Norman S. Newton scours historical and contemporary works to trace the lost architectural history of the capital of the Highlands, following the city's history from prehistory, through the Dark Ages, the Medieval period, the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries, to the present day.

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Featuring many images which have never before been published, this book explores the lost architectural heritage of the capital of the Highlands. The list of vanished buildings and streets is a long one. The medieval town was gutted by our mid-Victorian ancestors in a frenzy of redevelopment, but in the process many fine public buildings were created.



Sadly, the post-war ‘improvements’ in the town centre, especially in the 1960s, have left an unfortunate legacy of architectural blight. However many fascinating old photographs and drawings survive, allowing us to celebrate much of what has been lost. This book draws on the resources of Highland archives, libraries and museums to create a memorable record of a missing urban landscape, from the speculative sites of Pictish forts and Macbeth’s castle, to Queen Mary’s House and the old suspension bridge below Inverness Castle, itself blown up by the Jacobites in 1746 and replaced by the 1830s prison and courthouse.