Inverness is a
cityCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in the
Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. It is the administrative centre for the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, and is regarded as the capital of the
Highlands of ScotlandThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of
Blàr nam FèinneBlàr nam Fèinne on Cnoc na Moine in The Aird, to the west of Inverness, is the site of the 11th century battle between Scottish forces lead by Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh against Norwegian forces lead by Thorfinn...
against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
which took place on Culloden Moor. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
(Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
enters the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century. The Gaelic king, Mac Bethad mac Findláich (MacBeth) nicknamed An Rígh Dearg (The Red King) held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
The population of Inverness increased by over 10% from 1991–2001 and from 1997–2007 with an estimated population in 2008 of 56,660 or 72,745 including surrounding suburbs. Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities, with a quarter of the Highland population living in or around the city and is ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city. In the recent past, Inverness has experienced rapid economic growth - between 1998 and 2008, Inverness and the rest of the Central Highlands showed the largest growth of average economic productivity per person in Scotland and the second greatest growth in the United Kingdom as a whole, with an increase of 86%. Inverness is twinned with one German city,
AugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and two French towns, La Baule and
Saint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
.
Inverness College is the main campus for the
University of the Highlands and IslandsThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
. With around 8,500 students, Inverness College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands' students, and 30% of those studying to degree level.
History
Inverness was one of the chief strongholds of the
PictsThe Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, and in AD 565 was visited by St Columba with the intention of converting the Pictish king
BrudeBridei son of Maelchon, was king of the Picts until his death around 584 to 586.Bridei is first mentioned in Irish annals for 558–560, when the Annals of Ulster report "the migration before Máelchú's son i.e. king Bruide". The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later Annals of...
, who is supposed to have resided in the
vitrified fortVitrified fort is the name given to certain crude stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected in a greater or lesser degree to the action of fire. They are generally situated on hills offering strong defensive positions. Their form seems to have been determined by the contour of the flat...
on Craig Phadrig, on the western edge of the city. A 93 oz (2.6 kg) silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south at Torvean in 1983. 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 ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
and graveyard. The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which
Mac Bethad mac Findláich (Macbeth)Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
had, according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim's father Donnchad (Duncan I), and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.
The strategic location of Inverness has led to many conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city.
Inverness had four traditional fairs, including
LegavrikLegavrik was the name of a the Winter half of the year—1 November to 30 April—in Scotland. Variants include legawreik....
or "Leth-Gheamradh", meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach.
William the LionWilliam the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
(d. 1214) granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
. Of the Dominican friary founded by
Alexander IIIAlexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knight's effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre.
Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the fifteenth century. In 1187 one Domhnall Bán (Donald Bane) led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governor's son, Donnchadh Mac Coinnich (Duncan Mackintosh). Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Bane is said to have been buried in a large cairn near the river, close to where the silver chain was found. Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan MacDonald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, north of Inverness across the
Beauly FirthThe Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
. On his way to the
Battle of HarlawThe Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast....
in 1411,
Donald of IslayDonald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...
harried the city, and sixteen years later
James IJames I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
held a parliament in the castle to which the northern chieftains were summoned, of whom three were executed for asserting an independent sovereignty.
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
defeated
Clan MackintoshClan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
in 1454 at the
Battle of ClachnaharryThe Battle of Clachnaharry was a Scottish clan battle that took place in the year 1454. It was fought between the Clan Munro and the Clan Mackintosh on the south bank of the Beauly Firth at Clachnaharry, on the outskirts of Inverness....
just west of the city. The Clan MacDonald and their allies stormed the castle during the
Raid on RossThe Raid on Ross was a conflict that took place in 1491 in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan Mackenzie against several other clans, including the Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh, Clan MacDonald of Clanranald the Clan Cameron and the Chattan Confederation of Clan Mackintosh...
in 1491.
In 1562, during the progress undertaken to suppress Huntly's insurrection, Mary, Queen of Scots, was denied admittance into
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
by the governor, who belonged to the earl's faction, and whom she afterwards caused to be hanged. The
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
and
Clan FraserClan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, when it was demolished to make way for the second Bridge Street development.
Beyond the then northern limits of the town,
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
built a citadel capable of accommodating 1,000 men, but with the exception of a portion of the ramparts it was demolished at the
RestorationThe Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. The only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower. In 1715 the
JacobitesJacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
occupied the royal fortress as a barracks. In 1727 the government built the first Fort George here, but in 1746 it surrendered to the Jacobites and they blew it up.
CullodenCulloden is the name of a village three miles east of Inverness, Scotland and the surrounding area. Three miles south of the village is Drummossie Moor , site of the Battle of Culloden....
Moor lies nearby, and was the site of the
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746, which ended the
Jacobite RisingThe Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1745–1746.
On 7 September 1921, the first
UK CabinetThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
meeting to be held outside
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
took place in the Town House, when
David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, on holiday in
GairlochGairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. A popular tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a small museum, several hotels, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local...
, called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Inverness Formula composed at this meeting was the basis of the
Anglo-Irish TreatyThe Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
.
Toponymy
Inverness and its immediate hinterland have a large number of originally Gaelic place names as the area was solidly Gaelic-speaking until recently.
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Inverness |
Inbhir Nis |
Mouth of the River Ness |
| Ben Wyvis Ben Wyvis is a mountain located in Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty, Highland, in northern Scotland, north-west of Dingwall. It forms an undulating ridge running roughly north-south for about 5 km, the highest summit of which is Glas Leathad Mòr...
|
Beinn Uais |
Mount Terror |
| Scorguie Scorguie is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It sits between Kinmylies and Clachnaharry and is situated beside the Caledonian Canal at the Muirtown Locks....
|
Sgurr Gaoithe |
The Windy Hill |
| Clachnaharry Clachnaharry is a former fishing village, now part of the city of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Clach na h-Aithrigh |
Stone of Repentance |
| Balloch Balloch is a residential village located 4 miles east of the city of Inverness, Scotland.Many children living in the area attend Culloden Academy. Balloch also has a local shop which is currently having an extension constructed. There is a village hall, a bowling club, a village trust and a .Like...
|
Am Bealach |
The Pass |
| Resaurie |
Ruigh Samhraidh |
Summer Slope |
| Raigmore |
Rathaig Mhòir |
Big Fort |
| Balnafettack Balnafettack is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It is named after the farm upon which the present residential housing is built. It sits above Scorguie and was the final area on the West-side of Inverness to be developed due to its proximity to the steep...
|
Baile nam Feadag |
Farm of the Plovers |
| Culloden |
Cùil Lodair |
Nook of the Marsh |
| Dalneigh Dalneigh is an area in the city of Inverness in Scotland. Located in the west of the city, it lies between the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The name is derived from the Gaelic word Dail an Eich, meaning 'Field of the horse'...
|
Dail an Eich |
Field of the Horse |
| Culduthel |
Cuil Daothail |
Quiet northern spot |
| Culcabock Culcabock is a former hamlet in Highland Council Area, Scotland. Culcabock now forms an eastern suburb of Inverness, located 1¼ miles east southeast of the city centre.-References:...
|
Cùil na Càbaig |
Back of the Tillage Land |
| Dalmagarry |
Dail Mac Gearraidh |
Garry's Son's Haugh |
TomatinTomatin is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about south of the city of Inverness. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Tom-Ah-Tin . The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin...
|
Tom Aitinn |
Hill of the Juniper |
| Dell |
Dail MhicEachainn |
MacEachen's Haugh |
| Diriebught |
Tìr nam Bochd |
Land of the Poor |
| Dochfour |
Dabhach Phùir |
Davoch of Pasture Land |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Dochgarroch Dochgarroch is a settlement that lies at the start of the Caledonian Canal, at the head of Loch Ness in Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
Dabhach Gairbheach |
Rough Davoch |
| Dores Dores is a village located on the south shore of Loch Ness, 10 km south west of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland.The annual RockNess music festival takes place in fields to the north of the village....
|
Dubhras |
Black Wood |
| Drummond |
An Druimein |
The Ridge |
| Drumossie |
Druim Athaisidh |
Ridge of Great Haugh |
| Castle Heather |
Caisteal Leathoir |
Castle on the Slope |
| Inshes Inshes is a small residential area in the east of Inverness, Scotland. Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Some parts of Inshes were built a few decades ago but most of it was built after 2003. A few houses are still being constructed and...
|
Na h-Innseagan |
The Meadows |
| Kessock |
Ceasaig |
(Saint) Ceasaig |
| Kinmylies |
Ceann a' Mhìlidh |
The Warrior's Head |
| Leachkin Leachkin is a suburb on the western outskirts of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is about 3 km west of the city centre, on the hill sloping towards Craig Dunain and Craig Phadrig....
|
Leacainn |
Broad Hillside |
| Merkinch Merkinch is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the Inverness's oldest areas, it is located in the north-west of the city, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east.Originally, Merkinch was home to Inverness's shipbuilding industry...
|
Marc Innis |
The Horse Meadow |
| Millburn Millburn is an area in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Millburn Academy is situated in the area. The area is also known, as the name suggests, for the Mill Burn which runs through the area. Millburn Road which runs parallel to the school is one of the main access roads into the centre of...
|
Allt a' Mhuilinn |
The Mill River |
| Slackbuie |
An Slag Buidhe |
The Yellow Hollow |
| Smithton |
Baile a' Ghobhainn |
Smiths' Town |
| Tomnahurich |
Tom na h-Iubhraich |
Hill of the Yew Trees |
| Torvean |
Tòrr Bheathain |
MacBean's Hill |
| Abertarff |
Obar Thairbh |
Mouth of the Bull River |
| Ballifeary Ballifeary is district of Inverness, Scotland. It is situated a half-mile south southwest of the town centre. The B-listed Ballifeary House on Ness Walk dates from the mid-19th century, but has been a care home run by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland since 1964. Bught Park lies...
|
Baile na Faire |
The Guard's Farm |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Lairgmore |
Luirg Mór |
Big slope |
| Essich Essich is a region of Scotland located between Inverness and Loch Ness. It is located 2.7 kilometres from the centre of Inverness and is serviced by Holm Primary School....
|
Easaich |
Place of the Stream |
| Aldourie Aldourie is a small crofting village, on the east shore of Loch Ness and is within the council of Highland, Scotland. Aldourie Castle, seat of the Laird on Dunbar, is close to the village of Aldourie....
|
Allt Dobhraig |
River of the Water |
| Scaniport |
Sganaphort |
Ferry by the Crack |
| Croftnacreich Croftnacreich is a hamlet on the Black Isle, in Ross and Cromarty in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is 1 mile north-west of North Kessock, next to the A9 road and close to the village of Artafallie....
|
Croit na Chrithich |
The Aspen Hut |
| Allanfearn Allanfearn is a small settlement, one mile east of Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, within the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
An t-Àilean Feàrna |
The Alder Meadow |
| Bunchrew Bunchrew is a small village close to the south shore of Beauly Firth in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Bun Chraoibh |
Foot of the Tree |
| Craig Dunain |
Creag Dùn Eun |
Rocky Bird Hill |
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
|
Loch Nis |
Lake Ness |
| Craggie |
Cragaidh |
Rocky Place |
| Dalcross |
Dealgros |
Prickle Point |
| Croy |
Chrothaigh |
Hard Place |
| Kilvean |
Cill Bheathain |
Church of St.Bain |
| Lochardil |
Loch Àrdail |
The Church Lake |
| Crown |
Crùn |
Crown |
| Balvonie |
Bhaile a'Mhonaidh |
Village on the hill |
| Bogbain |
Bog Ban |
The White Marsh |
Several Gaelic place names are now largely obsolete due to the feature being removed or forgotten.
Drochaid an Easain Duibh (Bridge by the Small Dark Waterfall), referred to in the tale
Aonghas Mòr Thom na h-Iubhraich agus na Sìthichean (Great Angus of Tomnahurich and the Faries) has not yet been located within Inverness and
Slag nam Mèirleach (meaning Robbers' hollow), adjacent to Doors Road in Holm is no longer in use. Until the late 19th century, four mussel beds existed on the delta mouth of the River Ness: 'Scalp Phàdraig Mhòir' (Scalp of Big Patrick), 'Rònach' (Place of the Seals) 'Cridhe an Uisge' (The Water Heart) and 'Scalp nan Caorach' (Scalp of the Sheep) – these mussel beds were all removed to allow better access for fishing boats and ships.
Allt Muineach (The Thicket River) now runs underground between Culcabock Roundabout and Millburn Roundabout.
An Loch Gorm (The Turquoise Loch), a small sea loch which was situated beside Morrisons supermarket, was filled in during the 19th century and lives on only in the name of Lochgorm Warehouse. Abban Street stems from the word
àban, a word of local Gaelic dialect meaning a small channel of water.
Many prominent points around Inverness retain fully Gaelic names.
Beinn Bhuidhe Bheag – Little Yellow Hill
Beinn Uan – Lamb Hill
Cnoc na Mòine – The Peat Hill
Cnoc na Gaoithe – The Hill of the Wind
Cnoc an t-Seòmair – The Hill of the Room
Creag Liath – Grey Crag
Creag nan Sidhean – The Crag of the Fairies
Doire Mhòr – Great Oakwood
Carn a' Bhodaich – The Old Man's Cairn
Meall Mòr – Great Hill
In the colonial period the name was given by expatriates to settlements in
QuebecInverness is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of the province of Quebec in Canada....
,
Nova ScotiaInverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
,
MontanaInverness is a census-designated place in Hill County, Montana, United States. The population was 55 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
,
FloridaInverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
,
IllinoisInverness is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 6,749 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
, and
CaliforniaInverness is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in western Marin County, California. Inverness is located on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay northwest of Point Reyes Station, at an elevation of 43 feet . In the 2010 census, the population was 1,304...
. The name Inverness is also given to a feature on Miranda, a moon of the planet Uranus as well as a 2637m tall mountain in British Columbia, Canada. Inverness is also known by its nicknames Inversnecky or The Sneck.
Population
| Year |
Population |
| 2009 |
56,660 |
| 2001 |
44,180 |
| 1991 |
41,234 |
| 1981 |
40,011 |
| 1971 |
34,839 |
| 1961 |
29,774 |
| 1951 |
28,107 |
| 1881 |
17,365 |
| 1871 |
14,469 |
| 1861 |
12,509 |
| 1801 |
-- 8732 |
| 1791 |
-- 7930 |
Geography
Inverness is situated at the mouth of the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
(which flows from nearby
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
) and at the southwestern extremity of the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. The city lies at the end of the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
with Loch Ness, Loch Ashie and Loch Duntelchaig to the west. Inverness'
Caledonian CanalThe Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
also runs through the Great Glen connecting Loch Ness,
Loch OichLoch Oich is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the Great Glen...
, and
Loch LochyLoch Lochy is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third deepest loch of Scotland.-Geography:...
.
The
Ness IslandsThe Ness Islands are situated on the River Ness, opposite the Bught Park, in the city of Inverness, Scotland. The first bridges to the islands were built in 1828, prior to their construction the only access to the islands was by boat...
, a publicly owned park, consist of two wooded islands connected by footbridges and has been used as a place of recreation since the 1840s. Craig Phadraig, once an ancient Gaelic and Pictish hillfort is a 240m hill which offers hikes on a clear pathway through the wooded terrain.
Inverness lies on the Great Glen Fault. The last earthquake to affect Inverness occurred in 1934.
Location
Climate
In common with all of the British Isles Inverness has an
oceanic climateAn oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
. Despite is Northerly location, the climate is surprisingly mild due to its low lying, coastal position - in an average year under 40 frosts will be recorded.
Health
Raigmore is the main hospital in Inverness and the entire Highland authority. The present hospital opened in 1970, replacing wartime wards dating from 1941.
Raigmore is also a teaching hospital catering for both the Universities of Aberdeen and Stirling. A new Centre for Health Science is located behind
Raigmore HospitalRaigmore Hospital in Inverness is the main hospital in the area of NHS Highland Health Board. It serves patients from its own and adjacent Community Health Partnership areas as well as those from adjacent Health Board areas. It is also a teaching hospital in association with the Universities of...
. This is being funded by
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
, the
Scottish ExecutiveThe Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
and Johnson and Johnson. Phase I of this opened in early 2007, phase II is under construction and phase III has been funded. The
University of StirlingThe University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
is moving its operations from Raigmore Hospital to the CfHS. The UHI also has strong links with the centre through its Faculty of Health.
Economy
Most of the traditional industries such as distilling have been replaced by high-tech businesses, such as the design and manufacture of diabetes diagnostic kits.
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
has partly funded the Centre for Health Science with a view to attracting more businesses in the medical and medical devices business to the area. Inverness is home to
Scottish Natural HeritageScottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
following that body's relocation from Edinburgh under the auspices of the Scottish Government's decentralisation strategy. SNH provides a large number of jobs in the area.
Inverness City Centre lies on the east bank of the river and is linked to the west side of the town by three road bridges (Ness Bridge, Friars Bridge and the Black (or Waterloo) Bridge) and by one of the town's suspension foot bridges, the Grieg Street Bridge. The traditional city centre was a triangle bounded by High Street, Church Street and Academy Street, within which Union Street and Queensgate are cross streets parallel to High Street. Between Union Street and Queensgate is the Victorian Market, which contains a large number of small shops. The main
Inverness railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
is almost directly opposite the Academy Street entrance to the Market. From the 1970s, the
Eastgate Shopping CentreEastgate Shopping Centre is located in Inverness, serving the largest shopping catchment area in Europe. The centre has two main anchor stores, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Fund are the present owners of the Eastgate....
was developed to the east of High Street, with a substantial extension being completed in 2003.
Education
The city has a number of different education providers. Inverness is catered for by about a dozen primary schools including
Inverness Gaelic Primary SchoolBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, a specialised institution situated at Slackbuie. There are 5 secondary schools:
Inverness High SchoolInverness High School is a secondary school on Montague Row in Inverness, Scotland.-Admissions:From a peak of over 1,600 pupils, the school's current roll is around 450. Its feeders are Central, Dalneigh, Bishop Eden's, St Joseph's and Merkinch Primary Schools...
,
Inverness Royal AcademyInverness Royal Academy is a secondary school located in the Culduthel area of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.- Catchment area :...
,
Charleston AcademyCharleston Academy was established in 1978 and is located in the Kinmylies area of Inverness, Scotland. The school has an average pupil population of 850...
,
Millburn AcademyMillburn Academy is a six-year secondary school in Inverness, Scotland. It serves the portion of Inverness east of the River Ness along with rural areas to the south of the city, with a catchment area that includes the primary schools of Crown, Daviot, Drakies, Inshes, Raigmore and Strathdearn...
and
Culloden AcademyThe Culloden Academy is a non-denominational secondary school in Culloden, Highland, Scotland. The building was completed in 1982 and, as of session 2007/08, has an enrollment of 1,031 pupils. The current rector of The Culloden Academy is Mr Stephen T Dowds who became rector in 2004...
. Additionally there is
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
which offers further and higher education courses to those of school leaving age and above. The City also has a new Centre for Health Sciences adjacent to Raigmore Hospital.
University of the Highlands and Islands
Inverness College is situated in the city and is the main campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a
federationAn affiliated school is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institution that may have some level of control or influence over its academic policies, standards or programs.While a university may have one...
of 15
collegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
delivering
higher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
.
Plans for a new campus have been in place for some time with a contest between redevelopment of the current Longman site and a new development at Beechwood Farm being considered. As of May 2010 it was decided that the college shall move to a new purpose-built 200 acre campus at the Beechwood Farm location.
The planning application for phase 1 of a new campus for UHI was passed by The Highland Council in May 2010. The original outline planning application for the entire landholding submitted early 2009 remains live. This application forms a vision for the development over the next thirty years. The application includes:
- Academic buildings – up to 70,480 sqm
- Business and incubation units – up to 49,500 sqm
- Indoor sports complex – up to 9,000 sqm
- Student and other short term residences – 44,950 sqm
- Associated landscape, open space, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and services necessary to support the development phases
- Up to 200 residential units
- A social enterprise-run hotel
The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus at Beechwood, just off the A9 south of Inverness, is considered to be one of the most important developments for the region over the next 20 years. The principal of UHI, James Fraser, said: “This is a flagship development which will provide Inverness with a university campus and vibrant student life. It will have a major impact on the city and on the Highlands and Islands. UHI is a partnership of colleges and research centres throughout the region, and the development of any one partner brings strength to the whole institution."
It is estimated that the new campus would contribute more than £50m to the economy of the Highlands because it could attract innovative commercial businesses interested in research and development, while increasing the number of students who study within the city by around 3,000.
Transport
Inverness is linked to the
Black IsleThe Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
across the Moray Firth by the
Kessock BridgeThe Kessock Bridge carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness.-Description:The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the village of North Kessock and the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.The bridge has a...
. It has a
railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
with services to
PerthPerth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
,
Thurso-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
, Wick and to
Kyle of LochalshKyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...
. Inverness is connected to London by the
Caledonian SleeperThe Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
, which departs six times a week and by the
Highland Chieftain which runs 7 days a week.
Inverness AirportInverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
is located 15 km east of the city and has scheduled flights to airports across the UK including
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
,
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and the islands to the north and west of Scotland. Flybe operate flights to Gatwick, Manchester, Belfast, Birmingham, Southampton and Jersey. Loganair, Flybe's franchise partner, operate Saab 340 aircraft to Stornoway, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Three trunk roads (the A9,
A82The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
and A96) provide access to Aberdeen, Perth, Elgin, Wick, Thurso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Stagecoach HighlandsStagecoach Highlands is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach in May 2008.-History:...
is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach.
It covers the following depots of the Stagecoach Group.
- Fort William
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
(Ardgour Road, Caol) (t/a Stagecoach in Lochaber)
- Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
(Scott's Road Hatson Industrial Estate) (t/a Stagecoach in Orkney)
- Portree
Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....
(Park Road) (t/a Stagecoach in Skye)
- Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
(Janet Street) (t/a Stagecoach in Caithness)
There are various outstations over the division area due to the rural nature of the area covered.
The operation from
AviemoreAviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
depot comes under the East Scotland division as it trades as
Stagecoach in Inverness.
Inverness Trunk Road Link
Plans are in place to convert the A96 between Inverness and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
to a dual carriageway and to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the town.
The bypass, known as the
Inverness Trunk Road LinkPlans are in place to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the city. The bypass, known as the Inverness Trunk Road Link , is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport...
(TRL), is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport problems and has been split into two separate projects, the east and west sections. The east section will bypass Inshes Roundabout, a notorious traffic bottleneck, using a new road linking the existing Southern Distributor with the A9 and the A96, both via grade separated interchanges. This proposed new link road would bypass Inshes roundabout, as stated before, and separate strategic traffic from local traffic as well as accommodating proposals for new development at the West Seafield Retail and Business Park and also a new UHI campus.
At the west end, two options for crossing the river and canal were developed. One involving a high level vertical opening bridge which will allow the majority of canal traffic to pass under without the need for opening. The other involved a bridge over the river and an aqueduct under the canal. Both of these designs are technically complex and were considered in detail along by the key stakeholders involved in the project. Ultimately it was decided that a bridge over the river and a tunnel under the canal were the best option, allow more expensive.
In late 2008 the controversial decision by the Scottish Government not to include the full Inverness bypass in its transport plan for the next 20 years was made. The government's Strategic Transport Projects Review did include the eastern section of the route, which will see the A9 at Inshes linked to the A96.
But the absence of the TRL's western section, which would include a permanent crossing over the Caledonian Canal and River Ness, sparked dismay among several Highland councillors and business leaders in Inverness who feel the bypass is vital for the city's future economic growth.
Upgrading of the A9 South
In late 2008 the Scottish Government's transport plan for the next 20 years was announced. It brings forward planned improvements to the A9 in an attempt to stimulate the economy and protect jobs.
Work costing a total of £8.5 million will take place at
MoyThe village of Moy is situated between the villages of Daviot and Tomatin, in the Highland region of Scotland. It sits beside Loch Moy and used to have a railway station on the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway.-History:...
,
CarrbridgeCarrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies off the A9 road on the A938 road, west of Skye of Curr, southeast of Findhom Bridge, near Bogroy.It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands and nearby ancient pine forest contains the Landmark Forest...
and
BankfootBankfoot is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately eight miles north of Perth and seven miles south of Dunkeld. Bankfoot had a population of 1,136 in 2001.-Education:...
. Northbound overtaking lanes will be created and the carriageways reconstructed at both Moy and Carrbridge. Junction improvements will also be made at Moy, with work due to get under way in September 2009. With the Carrbridge scheme is due to be begin in February 2009.
Nationally an extra £38 million is to be spent this financial year, followed by a further £232 million in 2009 and 2010.
It is estimated the move will help support in the region of around 4000 jobs across Scotland.
Local government
Inverness was an autonomous
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
, and
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
for the county of Inverness (also known as
Inverness-shireThe County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
) until 1975, when local government
countiesThe counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s were abolished, under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, in favour of two-tier
regions and districtsThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
and unitary
islands council areasBetween 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
. The royal burgh was then absorbed into a new district of Inverness, which was one of eight districts within the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
region. The new district combined in one area the royal burgh, the Inverness district of the county and the
AirdThe Aird is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, and to the north of Glenurquhart and the northern end of Loch Ness....
district of the county. The rest of the county was divided between other new districts within the Highland region and the Western Isles. Therefore, although much larger than the royal burgh, the new Inverness district was much smaller than the county.
In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the districts were abolished and the region became a unitary council area. The new unitary Highland Council, however, adopted the areas of the former districts as council management areas, and created
area committeeMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
s to represent each. The Inverness committee represents 23 out of the 80 Highland Council wards, with each ward electing one
councillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
by the first past the post system of election. However, management area and committee area boundaries have been out of alignment since 1999, as a result of changes to ward boundaries. Also, ward boundaries are changing again this year, 2007, and the council management areas are being replaced with three new corporate management areas.
Ward boundary changes in 2007, under the
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, create 22 new Highland Council wards, each electing three or four councillors by the
single transferable voteThe single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system of election, a system designed to produce a form of
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The total number of councillors remains the same. Also, the Inverness management area is being merged into the new Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate management area, covering nine of the new wards and electing 34 of the 80 councillors. As well as the Inverness area, the new area includes the former
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
management area and the former
Badenoch and StrathspeyBadenoch and Strathspey as a local government district 1975 to 1996Badenoch and Strathspey is a local government ward of the Highland council area and a ward management area of the Highland Council in Scotland...
management area. The corporate area name is also that of a
constituencyIn the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
, but boundaries are different.
Within the corporate area there is a city management area covering seven of the nine wards, the Aird and Loch Ness ward, the Culloden and Ardersier ward, the Inverness Central ward, the Inverness Millburn ward, the Inverness Ness-side ward, the Inverness South ward and the Inverness West ward. The Nairn ward and the Badenoch and Strathspey ward complete the corporate area. Wards in the city management area are to be represented on a city committee as well as corporate area committees.
Distribution of Highland Council Seats by Party in Inverness
| |
Party |
Seats |
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| |
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
|
6 |
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| |
Independent |
5 |
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| |
Liberal Democrats |
7 |
|
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Labour Party The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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4 |
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City status
In 2001
city statusCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
was granted to the
Town of Inverness, and
letters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
were taken into the possession of the Highland Council by the convener of the Inverness area committee. These letters patent, which were sealed in March 2001 and are held by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, create a city of Inverness, but do not refer to anywhere with defined boundaries, except that
Town of Inverness may be taken as a reference to the
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Inverness. As a local government area the burgh was abolished 26 years earlier, in 1975, and so was the county of Inverness for which the burgh was the
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
. Nor do they refer to the former district or to the royal burgh.
The Highland area was created as a
two-tier local government regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
in 1975, and became a unitary local government area in 1996. The region consisted of eight districts, of which one was called Inverness. The districts were all merged into the unitary area. As the new local government authority, the Highland Council then adopted the areas of the districts as council management areas. The management areas were abolished in 2007, in favour of three new corporate management areas. The council has defined a large part of the Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate area as the Inverness city management area. This council-defined city area includes
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
and numerous towns and villages apart from the former burgh of Inverness.
In January 2008 a petition to matriculate
armorial bearingsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
for the City of Inverness was refused by
Lord Lyon King of ArmsThe Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
on the grounds that there is no legal persona to which arms can be granted.
Parliamentary representation
There are three existing
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary constituencies with
Inverness as an element in their names:
- One county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
), created in 2005:
- Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) Danny AlexanderDaniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
- Two county constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(HolyroodThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
), created in 1999:
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Scottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Fergus EwingFergus Ewing is the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Inverness and Nairn.- Background :...
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat MSP John Farquhar MunroJohn Farquhar Munro is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was the MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West from 1999 until his retirement in 2011....
These existing constituencies are effectively subdivisions of the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, but boundaries for Westminster elections are now very different from those for Holyrood elections. The Holyrood constituencies are also subdivisions of the Highlands and Islands
electoral regionScottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
.
Historically there have been six Westminster constituencies:
- One burgh constituency
A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency...
:
- Inverness Burghs, 1708 to 1918
- Five county constituencies:
- Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918....
, 1708 to 1918
- Inverness
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1918 to 1983
- Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
, 1983 to 1997
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005...
, 1997 to 2005
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1997 to 2005
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency, covering the parliamentary burghs of Inverness,
FortroseFortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...
,
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
. Inverness-shire covered, at least nominally, the county of Inverness minus the Inverness parliamentary burgh. As created in 1918, Inverness covered the county minus
Outer HebrideanThe Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
areas, which were merged into the Western Isles constituency. The Inverness constituency included the former parliamentary burgh of Inverness. As created in 1983, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was one of three constituencies covering the Highland
regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
, which had been created in 1975. As first used in 1997, the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituencies were effectively two of three constituencies covering the Highland unitary council area, which had been created in 1996.
Town twinning
- Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany
- Inverness, Florida
Inverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
, USA
- La Baule, France
- St Valery-en-Caux, France
Culture and sports
Inverness is an important centre for
bagpipeBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
players and lovers, since every September the city hosts the
Northern MeetingThe Northern Meeting, established in 1788 in Inverness, Scotland, is best known for its bagpiping competition in September. These competitions are among the most prestigious solo events in the piping world. The most famous competition is the pìobaireachd competition, which is organized in three...
. The
Inverness capeEven though a wide variety of coats, overcoats, and rain gear are worn with Highland Dress to deal with inclement weather, the Inverness cape has come to be almost universally adopted for rainy weather by pipe bands the world over, and many other kilt wearers also find it to be the preferable...
, a garment worn in the rain by pipers the world over, is not necessarily made in Inverness.
Another major event in calendar is the annual City of Inverness
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
. In 2006 Inverness hosted Scotland's biggest ever
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
over two days in July, featuring the Masters' World Championships, the showcase event for heavies aged over 40 years. 2006 was the first year that the Masters' World Championships had been held outside the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it attracted many top heavies from around the world to the Inverness area.
The main theatre in Inverness is called
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
. Actress
Karen GillanKaren Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
is the ambassador for Theatre Art Education.
The current music scene within Inverness generally leans towards an emo/punk/hardcore style, but there are also bands who show features of different genres such as rock, metal, pop, classical, grunge, industrial and traditional Scottish music.
Inverness is home to two summer music festivals, Rockness and the Tartan Heart Festival, that bring a variety of different music to the town.
The city is home to three football clubs.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
was formed in 1994 from the merger of two Highland League clubs,
Caledonian F.C.Caledonian Football Club was a football club from the city of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.-Formation:Caledonian Football Club was formed in 1885 by lads from the 'Big Green' area of Inverness, though some sources quote 1886. They were founder members of the Highland Football League in 1893 and...
and Inverness Thistle. "Caley Thistle" of the
Scottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
plays at the
Tulloch Caledonian StadiumThe Caledonian Stadium, currently known as the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium situated in the Longman area of Inverness, Scotland...
. The town's second football club,
Clachnacuddin F.C.Clachnacuddin F.C. are a semi-professional senior football club from the city of Inverness who currently play in Scotland's Highland Football League. They have won the most League championships in the competition's history a total of 18 times overall. Their home ground is Grant Street Park in the...
, plays in the
Highland LeagueThe Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
.
Inverness Citadel F.C.Inverness Citadel Football Club were a football club based at Shore Street Park in Inverness, Scotland. They were formed in the mid 1880s and were initial members of the Highland Football League when it was formed in 1894. They were league champions on only one occasion, in 1909. They regularly...
was another popular side which became defunct, but had its name revived. The third football side is
Inverness City F.C.Inverness City Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness. Their home strip is white and black and the away strip is red and white....
who play in the North Region Juniors and were formed in 2006.
Highland RFCHighland Rugby Football Club is a rugby union amateur club from the city of Inverness that compete in the Caledonia Regional League Division 1, the Highland Alliance League and the Caledonia Three Northwest...
is the local
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club that competes regularly in the
Caledonia Regional LeagueThe Caledonia Regional League structure is one of three Regional Leagues operated by the Scottish Rugby Union , which play at a level below that of the National League structure. Winners of the league may progress to the National League...
Division One.
Highland HC is the local hockey team with both Mens & Ladies 1st teams in Scottish National Division 2. The Mens 1st team successfully gained promotion from Scottish National Division 3 in 2011.
Inverness Blitz is a charity that promotes the development of
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in Inverness and the surrounding area. Bught Park, located in the centre of Inverness is the finishing point of the annual
Loch Ness MarathonThe Loch Ness Marathon is an annual marathon race in Scotland, held along the famous loch, Loch Ness, ending in Inverness. The event is part of the Festival of Running, held annually at the beginning of October. This also includes a 10K race and a 5K fun run, and attracts over 8,000 participants...
and home of
Inverness Shinty ClubInverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved...
.
In
2011The 2011 European Tour will be the third edition of the Race to Dubai and the 40th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.-Schedule:...
, Inverness hosted professional
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
with the
Scottish OpenThe Scottish Open, which has been sponsored by Barclays Capital since 2002, is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness in the North of Scotland...
on the
European TourThe PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
, played at Castle Stuart the week before
The Open ChampionshipThe 2011 Open Championship was the 140th Open Championship, played from July 14–17 at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland won the event by three strokes for his first major championship victory.-Venue:...
.
Cricket is also played in Inverness, with both Highland CC and Northern Counties playing in the North of Scotland Cricket Association League and 7 welfare league teams playing midweek cricket at Fraser Park. Both teams have been very successful over the years.
Stock car racing was staged in Inverness circa 1973.
In 2007, the city hosted
Highland 2007Highland 2007 was a year-long celebration of Highland culture which took place from January until December 2007. It involved local communities throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as people across Scotland, the UK and beyond....
, a celebration of the culture of the
HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, and will also host the World Highland Games Heavy Championships (21 & 22 July) and European Pipe Band Championships (28 July). 2008 saw the first
Hi-ExHi-Ex is the name given to a Scottish comics convention. It is held early in the year in Eden Court Theatre, Inverness...
(Highlands International Comics Expo), held at the
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
.
Inverness is the location of
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
's castle in Shakespeare's play.
Gaelic in Inverness
Historically, Inverness had a solidly Gaelic speaking population, with the majority of the population having Gaelic as their first language. From approximately the end of the end of the 19th century, following the 1872 Education Act, Inverness suffered a decline in the number of Gaelic speakers in line with the rest of the once
Gaidhealtachd / Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Despite the local dialect of Scottish Gaelic gradually falling out of use (although it continued to affect local English language dialect), the language is still spoken in other dialects and standardised forms. By the end of the 19th century, some rural areas to the south east of Inverness still had completely Gaelic speaking populations, such as Strath Dearn where the majority of the population had acquired fluency in both English and Gaelic.
1677: Inverness was described as "overwhelmingly" Gaelic speaking by the traveller Thomas Kirk.
1704: 57% of the city's population spoke only Gaelic with the remaining 43% also speaking Gaelic with
ScotsScots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
as mainly a second language.
Edward LhuydEdward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
published major work on Inverness Gaelic and after collecting data from between 1699 and 1700, his findings showed a distinct dialect in the area. Gaelic remained the principal language of Invernessians for the rest of the 18th century, despite growing pressure from outwith the Highlands in both political and social contexts.
1798: Thomas Garnett (Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry in the Royal Institution of Great Britain) observed that Inverness had become largely bilingual with Invernessians using Gaelic as the language of the home but English as the language of foreign trade – however, the older generation at the time generally only had the Gaelic. Speaking of those in the countryside immediately surrounding Inverness, Garnett stated that although in Inverness both Gaelic and English “are spoken promiscuously...the language of the country people is Gaelic.”
1828: John Wood praised the standard of both the Gaelic and English spoken in Inverness stating the both languages were spoken with "utmost purity." He noted that children would casually flit between the two languages while playing, asking questions in Gaelic while receiving answers in English and vice-versa.
1882: The Celtic Magazine, published in Inverness, complained that enumerators of the 1881 census who assessed whether families were Gaelic speaking, English speaking or both, had supplied false information. The magazine wrote that "whole families .... scarcely any member of whom can express the commonest idea intelligently in English – who are in every sense Gaelic-speaking people only – were returned by the enumerators as English-speaking."
For its size, Inverness today still has a relatively high density of Gaelic speakers and a relatively lively Gaelic scene, making it one of the centres of the
Scottish Gaelic RenaissanceThe Scottish Gaelic Renaissance is a continuing movement concerning the revival of the Scottish Gaelic language. Although the Scottish Gaelic language had been facing gradual decline in the number of speakers since the late 19th century, the number of young fluent Gaelic speakers is quickly rising...
. According to the 2001 census, 5.47% spoke Gaelic (approx. 2,200 speakers), compared to 1.2% nationally.
The number of Gaelic speakers has fluctuated over the last century. In 1881, the census reported 4,047 Gaelic speakes in Inverness (23.3% of the population) which by 1891 had risen to 6,356 speakers (30.47%). By 1901 this figure had dropped to 5,072 speakers (23.88%) of the population, from which it continued to drop to present day numbers through
emigrationEmigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
and
language shiftLanguage shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
.
Scottish Gaelic is slowly re-appearing in the linguistic landscape, appearing on some signs around Inverness.
Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir NisBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, which opened in August 2007 offering primary school education through the medium of Gaelic, is nearing full capacity and was extended to allow for more pupils in August 2010.
Bòrd na GàidhligBòrd na Gàidhlig is a quango appointed by the Scottish Government with responsibility for Scottish Gaelic...
, an organisation responsible for supporting and promoting the use of Scottish Gaelic, has its main office in Inverness. Other Gaelic related groups include the Inverness Gaelic Choir which has existed for over 70 years. Inverness will also host the
Royal National MòdThe Royal National Mod is the annual national mod, a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture.The Mod is run by An Comunn Gàidhealach , and includes competitions and awards.-History:...
in 2014, a festival celebrating Gaelic culture.
Buildings
Important buildings in Inverness include
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
,
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
and various churches.
The castle was built in 1835 on the site of its medieval predecessor. It is now a
sheriff courtSheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
.
Inverness CathedralInverness Cathedral , also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the city of Inverness in Scotland...
, dedicated to St Andrew, is a cathedral of the
Scottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
and seat of the
ordinaryIn those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the
Diocese of Moray, Ross and CaithnessThe Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Caithness and Sutherland , mainland Ross and Cromarty , and mainland Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Moray and Banffshire . The diocesan centre is St. Andrew's Cathedral in Inverness...
. The cathedral has a curiously square-topped look to its spires, as funds ran out before they could be completed.
The oldest church is the
Old High ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, on St Michael's Mount by the riverside, a site perhaps used for worship since Celtic times. The church tower dates from mediaeval times, making it the oldest surviving building in Inverness. It is used by the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
congregation of
Old High St Stephen's, InvernessOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, and it is the venue for the annual Kirking of the Council, which is attended by local councillors.
Inverness College is the hub campus for the
UHI Millennium InstituteThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
.
Porterfield
PrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, officially
HMP InvernessHM Prison Inverness, also known as Porterfield Prison, is located in the Crown area of Inverness, Scotland, and serves the courts of the Highlands and Islands. It covers all the courts in the Western Isles as well as courts from Fort William, Wick and Elgin...
, serves the courts of the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney Isles and Moray, providing secure custody for all
remandThe detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
prisoners and short term adult prisoners, both male and female (segregated).
Inverness (from the iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ, meaning "Mouth of the River Ness" ) is a
cityCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in the
Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. It is the administrative centre for the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, and is regarded as the capital of the
Highlands of ScotlandThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of
Blàr nam FèinneBlàr nam Fèinne on Cnoc na Moine in The Aird, to the west of Inverness, is the site of the 11th century battle between Scottish forces lead by Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh against Norwegian forces lead by Thorfinn...
against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
which took place on Culloden Moor. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
(Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
enters the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century. The Gaelic king, Mac Bethad mac Findláich (MacBeth) nicknamed An Rígh Dearg (The Red King) held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
The population of Inverness increased by over 10% from 1991–2001 and from 1997–2007 with an estimated population in 2008 of 56,660 or 72,745 including surrounding suburbs. Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities, with a quarter of the Highland population living in or around the city and is ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city. In the recent past, Inverness has experienced rapid economic growth - between 1998 and 2008, Inverness and the rest of the Central Highlands showed the largest growth of average economic productivity per person in Scotland and the second greatest growth in the United Kingdom as a whole, with an increase of 86%. Inverness is twinned with one German city,
AugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and two French towns, La Baule and
Saint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
.
Inverness College is the main campus for the
University of the Highlands and IslandsThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
. With around 8,500 students, Inverness College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands' students, and 30% of those studying to degree level.
History
Inverness was one of the chief strongholds of the
PictsThe Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, and in AD 565 was visited by St Columba with the intention of converting the Pictish king
BrudeBridei son of Maelchon, was king of the Picts until his death around 584 to 586.Bridei is first mentioned in Irish annals for 558–560, when the Annals of Ulster report "the migration before Máelchú's son i.e. king Bruide". The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later Annals of...
, who is supposed to have resided in the
vitrified fortVitrified fort is the name given to certain crude stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected in a greater or lesser degree to the action of fire. They are generally situated on hills offering strong defensive positions. Their form seems to have been determined by the contour of the flat...
on Craig Phadrig, on the western edge of the city. A 93 oz (2.6 kg) silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south at Torvean in 1983. 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 ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
and graveyard. The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which
Mac Bethad mac Findláich (Macbeth)Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
had, according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim's father Donnchad (Duncan I), and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.
The strategic location of Inverness has led to many conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city.
Inverness had four traditional fairs, including
LegavrikLegavrik was the name of a the Winter half of the year—1 November to 30 April—in Scotland. Variants include legawreik....
or "Leth-Gheamradh", meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach.
William the LionWilliam the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
(d. 1214) granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
. Of the Dominican friary founded by
Alexander IIIAlexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knight's effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre.
Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the fifteenth century. In 1187 one Domhnall Bán (Donald Bane) led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governor's son, Donnchadh Mac Coinnich (Duncan Mackintosh). Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Bane is said to have been buried in a large cairn near the river, close to where the silver chain was found. Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan MacDonald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, north of Inverness across the
Beauly FirthThe Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
. On his way to the
Battle of HarlawThe Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast....
in 1411,
Donald of IslayDonald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...
harried the city, and sixteen years later
James IJames I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
held a parliament in the castle to which the northern chieftains were summoned, of whom three were executed for asserting an independent sovereignty.
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
defeated
Clan MackintoshClan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
in 1454 at the
Battle of ClachnaharryThe Battle of Clachnaharry was a Scottish clan battle that took place in the year 1454. It was fought between the Clan Munro and the Clan Mackintosh on the south bank of the Beauly Firth at Clachnaharry, on the outskirts of Inverness....
just west of the city. The Clan MacDonald and their allies stormed the castle during the
Raid on RossThe Raid on Ross was a conflict that took place in 1491 in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan Mackenzie against several other clans, including the Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh, Clan MacDonald of Clanranald the Clan Cameron and the Chattan Confederation of Clan Mackintosh...
in 1491.
In 1562, during the progress undertaken to suppress Huntly's insurrection, Mary, Queen of Scots, was denied admittance into
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
by the governor, who belonged to the earl's faction, and whom she afterwards caused to be hanged. The
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
and
Clan FraserClan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, when it was demolished to make way for the second Bridge Street development.
Beyond the then northern limits of the town,
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
built a citadel capable of accommodating 1,000 men, but with the exception of a portion of the ramparts it was demolished at the
RestorationThe Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. The only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower. In 1715 the
JacobitesJacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
occupied the royal fortress as a barracks. In 1727 the government built the first Fort George here, but in 1746 it surrendered to the Jacobites and they blew it up.
CullodenCulloden is the name of a village three miles east of Inverness, Scotland and the surrounding area. Three miles south of the village is Drummossie Moor , site of the Battle of Culloden....
Moor lies nearby, and was the site of the
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746, which ended the
Jacobite RisingThe Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1745–1746.
On 7 September 1921, the first
UK CabinetThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
meeting to be held outside
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
took place in the Town House, when
David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, on holiday in
GairlochGairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. A popular tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a small museum, several hotels, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local...
, called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Inverness Formula composed at this meeting was the basis of the
Anglo-Irish TreatyThe Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
.
Toponymy
Inverness and its immediate hinterland have a large number of originally Gaelic place names as the area was solidly Gaelic-speaking until recently.
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Inverness |
Inbhir Nis |
Mouth of the River Ness |
| Ben Wyvis Ben Wyvis is a mountain located in Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty, Highland, in northern Scotland, north-west of Dingwall. It forms an undulating ridge running roughly north-south for about 5 km, the highest summit of which is Glas Leathad Mòr...
|
Beinn Uais |
Mount Terror |
| Scorguie Scorguie is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It sits between Kinmylies and Clachnaharry and is situated beside the Caledonian Canal at the Muirtown Locks....
|
Sgurr Gaoithe |
The Windy Hill |
| Clachnaharry Clachnaharry is a former fishing village, now part of the city of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Clach na h-Aithrigh |
Stone of Repentance |
| Balloch Balloch is a residential village located 4 miles east of the city of Inverness, Scotland.Many children living in the area attend Culloden Academy. Balloch also has a local shop which is currently having an extension constructed. There is a village hall, a bowling club, a village trust and a .Like...
|
Am Bealach |
The Pass |
| Resaurie |
Ruigh Samhraidh |
Summer Slope |
| Raigmore |
Rathaig Mhòir |
Big Fort |
| Balnafettack Balnafettack is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It is named after the farm upon which the present residential housing is built. It sits above Scorguie and was the final area on the West-side of Inverness to be developed due to its proximity to the steep...
|
Baile nam Feadag |
Farm of the Plovers |
| Culloden |
Cùil Lodair |
Nook of the Marsh |
| Dalneigh Dalneigh is an area in the city of Inverness in Scotland. Located in the west of the city, it lies between the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The name is derived from the Gaelic word Dail an Eich, meaning 'Field of the horse'...
|
Dail an Eich |
Field of the Horse |
| Culduthel |
Cuil Daothail |
Quiet northern spot |
| Culcabock Culcabock is a former hamlet in Highland Council Area, Scotland. Culcabock now forms an eastern suburb of Inverness, located 1¼ miles east southeast of the city centre.-References:...
|
Cùil na Càbaig |
Back of the Tillage Land |
| Dalmagarry |
Dail Mac Gearraidh |
Garry's Son's Haugh |
TomatinTomatin is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about south of the city of Inverness. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Tom-Ah-Tin . The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin...
|
Tom Aitinn |
Hill of the Juniper |
| Dell |
Dail MhicEachainn |
MacEachen's Haugh |
| Diriebught |
Tìr nam Bochd |
Land of the Poor |
| Dochfour |
Dabhach Phùir |
Davoch of Pasture Land |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Dochgarroch Dochgarroch is a settlement that lies at the start of the Caledonian Canal, at the head of Loch Ness in Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
Dabhach Gairbheach |
Rough Davoch |
| Dores Dores is a village located on the south shore of Loch Ness, 10 km south west of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland.The annual RockNess music festival takes place in fields to the north of the village....
|
Dubhras |
Black Wood |
| Drummond |
An Druimein |
The Ridge |
| Drumossie |
Druim Athaisidh |
Ridge of Great Haugh |
| Castle Heather |
Caisteal Leathoir |
Castle on the Slope |
| Inshes Inshes is a small residential area in the east of Inverness, Scotland. Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Some parts of Inshes were built a few decades ago but most of it was built after 2003. A few houses are still being constructed and...
|
Na h-Innseagan |
The Meadows |
| Kessock |
Ceasaig |
(Saint) Ceasaig |
| Kinmylies |
Ceann a' Mhìlidh |
The Warrior's Head |
| Leachkin Leachkin is a suburb on the western outskirts of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is about 3 km west of the city centre, on the hill sloping towards Craig Dunain and Craig Phadrig....
|
Leacainn |
Broad Hillside |
| Merkinch Merkinch is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the Inverness's oldest areas, it is located in the north-west of the city, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east.Originally, Merkinch was home to Inverness's shipbuilding industry...
|
Marc Innis |
The Horse Meadow |
| Millburn Millburn is an area in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Millburn Academy is situated in the area. The area is also known, as the name suggests, for the Mill Burn which runs through the area. Millburn Road which runs parallel to the school is one of the main access roads into the centre of...
|
Allt a' Mhuilinn |
The Mill River |
| Slackbuie |
An Slag Buidhe |
The Yellow Hollow |
| Smithton |
Baile a' Ghobhainn |
Smiths' Town |
| Tomnahurich |
Tom na h-Iubhraich |
Hill of the Yew Trees |
| Torvean |
Tòrr Bheathain |
MacBean's Hill |
| Abertarff |
Obar Thairbh |
Mouth of the Bull River |
| Ballifeary Ballifeary is district of Inverness, Scotland. It is situated a half-mile south southwest of the town centre. The B-listed Ballifeary House on Ness Walk dates from the mid-19th century, but has been a care home run by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland since 1964. Bught Park lies...
|
Baile na Faire |
The Guard's Farm |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Lairgmore |
Luirg Mór |
Big slope |
| Essich Essich is a region of Scotland located between Inverness and Loch Ness. It is located 2.7 kilometres from the centre of Inverness and is serviced by Holm Primary School....
|
Easaich |
Place of the Stream |
| Aldourie Aldourie is a small crofting village, on the east shore of Loch Ness and is within the council of Highland, Scotland. Aldourie Castle, seat of the Laird on Dunbar, is close to the village of Aldourie....
|
Allt Dobhraig |
River of the Water |
| Scaniport |
Sganaphort |
Ferry by the Crack |
| Croftnacreich Croftnacreich is a hamlet on the Black Isle, in Ross and Cromarty in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is 1 mile north-west of North Kessock, next to the A9 road and close to the village of Artafallie....
|
Croit na Chrithich |
The Aspen Hut |
| Allanfearn Allanfearn is a small settlement, one mile east of Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, within the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
An t-Àilean Feàrna |
The Alder Meadow |
| Bunchrew Bunchrew is a small village close to the south shore of Beauly Firth in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Bun Chraoibh |
Foot of the Tree |
| Craig Dunain |
Creag Dùn Eun |
Rocky Bird Hill |
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
|
Loch Nis |
Lake Ness |
| Craggie |
Cragaidh |
Rocky Place |
| Dalcross |
Dealgros |
Prickle Point |
| Croy |
Chrothaigh |
Hard Place |
| Kilvean |
Cill Bheathain |
Church of St.Bain |
| Lochardil |
Loch Àrdail |
The Church Lake |
| Crown |
Crùn |
Crown |
| Balvonie |
Bhaile a'Mhonaidh |
Village on the hill |
| Bogbain |
Bog Ban |
The White Marsh |
Several Gaelic place names are now largely obsolete due to the feature being removed or forgotten.
Drochaid an Easain Duibh (Bridge by the Small Dark Waterfall), referred to in the tale
Aonghas Mòr Thom na h-Iubhraich agus na Sìthichean (Great Angus of Tomnahurich and the Faries) has not yet been located within Inverness and
Slag nam Mèirleach (meaning Robbers' hollow), adjacent to Doors Road in Holm is no longer in use. Until the late 19th century, four mussel beds existed on the delta mouth of the River Ness: 'Scalp Phàdraig Mhòir' (Scalp of Big Patrick), 'Rònach' (Place of the Seals) 'Cridhe an Uisge' (The Water Heart) and 'Scalp nan Caorach' (Scalp of the Sheep) – these mussel beds were all removed to allow better access for fishing boats and ships.
Allt Muineach (The Thicket River) now runs underground between Culcabock Roundabout and Millburn Roundabout.
An Loch Gorm (The Turquoise Loch), a small sea loch which was situated beside Morrisons supermarket, was filled in during the 19th century and lives on only in the name of Lochgorm Warehouse. Abban Street stems from the word
àban, a word of local Gaelic dialect meaning a small channel of water.
Many prominent points around Inverness retain fully Gaelic names.
Beinn Bhuidhe Bheag – Little Yellow Hill
Beinn Uan – Lamb Hill
Cnoc na Mòine – The Peat Hill
Cnoc na Gaoithe – The Hill of the Wind
Cnoc an t-Seòmair – The Hill of the Room
Creag Liath – Grey Crag
Creag nan Sidhean – The Crag of the Fairies
Doire Mhòr – Great Oakwood
Carn a' Bhodaich – The Old Man's Cairn
Meall Mòr – Great Hill
In the colonial period the name was given by expatriates to settlements in
QuebecInverness is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of the province of Quebec in Canada....
,
Nova ScotiaInverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
,
MontanaInverness is a census-designated place in Hill County, Montana, United States. The population was 55 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
,
FloridaInverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
,
IllinoisInverness is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 6,749 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
, and
CaliforniaInverness is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in western Marin County, California. Inverness is located on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay northwest of Point Reyes Station, at an elevation of 43 feet . In the 2010 census, the population was 1,304...
. The name Inverness is also given to a feature on Miranda, a moon of the planet Uranus as well as a 2637m tall mountain in British Columbia, Canada. Inverness is also known by its nicknames Inversnecky or The Sneck.
Population
| Year |
Population |
| 2009 |
56,660 |
| 2001 |
44,180 |
| 1991 |
41,234 |
| 1981 |
40,011 |
| 1971 |
34,839 |
| 1961 |
29,774 |
| 1951 |
28,107 |
| 1881 |
17,365 |
| 1871 |
14,469 |
| 1861 |
12,509 |
| 1801 |
-- 8732 |
| 1791 |
-- 7930 |
Geography
Inverness is situated at the mouth of the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
(which flows from nearby
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
) and at the southwestern extremity of the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. The city lies at the end of the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
with Loch Ness, Loch Ashie and Loch Duntelchaig to the west. Inverness'
Caledonian CanalThe Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
also runs through the Great Glen connecting Loch Ness,
Loch OichLoch Oich is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the Great Glen...
, and
Loch LochyLoch Lochy is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third deepest loch of Scotland.-Geography:...
.
The
Ness IslandsThe Ness Islands are situated on the River Ness, opposite the Bught Park, in the city of Inverness, Scotland. The first bridges to the islands were built in 1828, prior to their construction the only access to the islands was by boat...
, a publicly owned park, consist of two wooded islands connected by footbridges and has been used as a place of recreation since the 1840s. Craig Phadraig, once an ancient Gaelic and Pictish hillfort is a 240m hill which offers hikes on a clear pathway through the wooded terrain.
Inverness lies on the Great Glen Fault. The last earthquake to affect Inverness occurred in 1934.
Location
Climate
In common with all of the British Isles Inverness has an
oceanic climateAn oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
. Despite is Northerly location, the climate is surprisingly mild due to its low lying, coastal position - in an average year under 40 frosts will be recorded.
Health
Raigmore is the main hospital in Inverness and the entire Highland authority. The present hospital opened in 1970, replacing wartime wards dating from 1941.
Raigmore is also a teaching hospital catering for both the Universities of Aberdeen and Stirling. A new Centre for Health Science is located behind
Raigmore HospitalRaigmore Hospital in Inverness is the main hospital in the area of NHS Highland Health Board. It serves patients from its own and adjacent Community Health Partnership areas as well as those from adjacent Health Board areas. It is also a teaching hospital in association with the Universities of...
. This is being funded by
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
, the
Scottish ExecutiveThe Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
and Johnson and Johnson. Phase I of this opened in early 2007, phase II is under construction and phase III has been funded. The
University of StirlingThe University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
is moving its operations from Raigmore Hospital to the CfHS. The UHI also has strong links with the centre through its Faculty of Health.
Economy
Most of the traditional industries such as distilling have been replaced by high-tech businesses, such as the design and manufacture of diabetes diagnostic kits.
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
has partly funded the Centre for Health Science with a view to attracting more businesses in the medical and medical devices business to the area. Inverness is home to
Scottish Natural HeritageScottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
following that body's relocation from Edinburgh under the auspices of the Scottish Government's decentralisation strategy. SNH provides a large number of jobs in the area.
Inverness City Centre lies on the east bank of the river and is linked to the west side of the town by three road bridges (Ness Bridge, Friars Bridge and the Black (or Waterloo) Bridge) and by one of the town's suspension foot bridges, the Grieg Street Bridge. The traditional city centre was a triangle bounded by High Street, Church Street and Academy Street, within which Union Street and Queensgate are cross streets parallel to High Street. Between Union Street and Queensgate is the Victorian Market, which contains a large number of small shops. The main
Inverness railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
is almost directly opposite the Academy Street entrance to the Market. From the 1970s, the
Eastgate Shopping CentreEastgate Shopping Centre is located in Inverness, serving the largest shopping catchment area in Europe. The centre has two main anchor stores, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Fund are the present owners of the Eastgate....
was developed to the east of High Street, with a substantial extension being completed in 2003.
Education
The city has a number of different education providers. Inverness is catered for by about a dozen primary schools including
Inverness Gaelic Primary SchoolBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, a specialised institution situated at Slackbuie. There are 5 secondary schools:
Inverness High SchoolInverness High School is a secondary school on Montague Row in Inverness, Scotland.-Admissions:From a peak of over 1,600 pupils, the school's current roll is around 450. Its feeders are Central, Dalneigh, Bishop Eden's, St Joseph's and Merkinch Primary Schools...
,
Inverness Royal AcademyInverness Royal Academy is a secondary school located in the Culduthel area of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.- Catchment area :...
,
Charleston AcademyCharleston Academy was established in 1978 and is located in the Kinmylies area of Inverness, Scotland. The school has an average pupil population of 850...
,
Millburn AcademyMillburn Academy is a six-year secondary school in Inverness, Scotland. It serves the portion of Inverness east of the River Ness along with rural areas to the south of the city, with a catchment area that includes the primary schools of Crown, Daviot, Drakies, Inshes, Raigmore and Strathdearn...
and
Culloden AcademyThe Culloden Academy is a non-denominational secondary school in Culloden, Highland, Scotland. The building was completed in 1982 and, as of session 2007/08, has an enrollment of 1,031 pupils. The current rector of The Culloden Academy is Mr Stephen T Dowds who became rector in 2004...
. Additionally there is
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
which offers further and higher education courses to those of school leaving age and above. The City also has a new Centre for Health Sciences adjacent to Raigmore Hospital.
University of the Highlands and Islands
Inverness College is situated in the city and is the main campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a
federationAn affiliated school is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institution that may have some level of control or influence over its academic policies, standards or programs.While a university may have one...
of 15
collegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
delivering
higher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
.
Plans for a new campus have been in place for some time with a contest between redevelopment of the current Longman site and a new development at Beechwood Farm being considered. As of May 2010 it was decided that the college shall move to a new purpose-built 200 acre campus at the Beechwood Farm location.
The planning application for phase 1 of a new campus for UHI was passed by The Highland Council in May 2010. The original outline planning application for the entire landholding submitted early 2009 remains live. This application forms a vision for the development over the next thirty years. The application includes:
- Academic buildings – up to 70,480 sqm
- Business and incubation units – up to 49,500 sqm
- Indoor sports complex – up to 9,000 sqm
- Student and other short term residences – 44,950 sqm
- Associated landscape, open space, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and services necessary to support the development phases
- Up to 200 residential units
- A social enterprise-run hotel
The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus at Beechwood, just off the A9 south of Inverness, is considered to be one of the most important developments for the region over the next 20 years. The principal of UHI, James Fraser, said: “This is a flagship development which will provide Inverness with a university campus and vibrant student life. It will have a major impact on the city and on the Highlands and Islands. UHI is a partnership of colleges and research centres throughout the region, and the development of any one partner brings strength to the whole institution."
It is estimated that the new campus would contribute more than £50m to the economy of the Highlands because it could attract innovative commercial businesses interested in research and development, while increasing the number of students who study within the city by around 3,000.
Transport
Inverness is linked to the
Black IsleThe Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
across the Moray Firth by the
Kessock BridgeThe Kessock Bridge carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness.-Description:The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the village of North Kessock and the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.The bridge has a...
. It has a
railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
with services to
PerthPerth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
,
Thurso-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
, Wick and to
Kyle of LochalshKyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...
. Inverness is connected to London by the
Caledonian SleeperThe Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
, which departs six times a week and by the
Highland Chieftain which runs 7 days a week.
Inverness AirportInverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
is located 15 km east of the city and has scheduled flights to airports across the UK including
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
,
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and the islands to the north and west of Scotland. Flybe operate flights to Gatwick, Manchester, Belfast, Birmingham, Southampton and Jersey. Loganair, Flybe's franchise partner, operate Saab 340 aircraft to Stornoway, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Three trunk roads (the A9,
A82The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
and A96) provide access to Aberdeen, Perth, Elgin, Wick, Thurso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Stagecoach HighlandsStagecoach Highlands is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach in May 2008.-History:...
is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach.
It covers the following depots of the Stagecoach Group.
- Fort William
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
(Ardgour Road, Caol) (t/a Stagecoach in Lochaber)
- Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
(Scott's Road Hatson Industrial Estate) (t/a Stagecoach in Orkney)
- Portree
Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....
(Park Road) (t/a Stagecoach in Skye)
- Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
(Janet Street) (t/a Stagecoach in Caithness)
There are various outstations over the division area due to the rural nature of the area covered.
The operation from
AviemoreAviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
depot comes under the East Scotland division as it trades as
Stagecoach in Inverness.
Inverness Trunk Road Link
Plans are in place to convert the A96 between Inverness and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
to a dual carriageway and to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the town.
The bypass, known as the
Inverness Trunk Road LinkPlans are in place to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the city. The bypass, known as the Inverness Trunk Road Link , is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport...
(TRL), is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport problems and has been split into two separate projects, the east and west sections. The east section will bypass Inshes Roundabout, a notorious traffic bottleneck, using a new road linking the existing Southern Distributor with the A9 and the A96, both via grade separated interchanges. This proposed new link road would bypass Inshes roundabout, as stated before, and separate strategic traffic from local traffic as well as accommodating proposals for new development at the West Seafield Retail and Business Park and also a new UHI campus.
At the west end, two options for crossing the river and canal were developed. One involving a high level vertical opening bridge which will allow the majority of canal traffic to pass under without the need for opening. The other involved a bridge over the river and an aqueduct under the canal. Both of these designs are technically complex and were considered in detail along by the key stakeholders involved in the project. Ultimately it was decided that a bridge over the river and a tunnel under the canal were the best option, allow more expensive.
In late 2008 the controversial decision by the Scottish Government not to include the full Inverness bypass in its transport plan for the next 20 years was made. The government's Strategic Transport Projects Review did include the eastern section of the route, which will see the A9 at Inshes linked to the A96.
But the absence of the TRL's western section, which would include a permanent crossing over the Caledonian Canal and River Ness, sparked dismay among several Highland councillors and business leaders in Inverness who feel the bypass is vital for the city's future economic growth.
Upgrading of the A9 South
In late 2008 the Scottish Government's transport plan for the next 20 years was announced. It brings forward planned improvements to the A9 in an attempt to stimulate the economy and protect jobs.
Work costing a total of £8.5 million will take place at
MoyThe village of Moy is situated between the villages of Daviot and Tomatin, in the Highland region of Scotland. It sits beside Loch Moy and used to have a railway station on the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway.-History:...
,
CarrbridgeCarrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies off the A9 road on the A938 road, west of Skye of Curr, southeast of Findhom Bridge, near Bogroy.It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands and nearby ancient pine forest contains the Landmark Forest...
and
BankfootBankfoot is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately eight miles north of Perth and seven miles south of Dunkeld. Bankfoot had a population of 1,136 in 2001.-Education:...
. Northbound overtaking lanes will be created and the carriageways reconstructed at both Moy and Carrbridge. Junction improvements will also be made at Moy, with work due to get under way in September 2009. With the Carrbridge scheme is due to be begin in February 2009.
Nationally an extra £38 million is to be spent this financial year, followed by a further £232 million in 2009 and 2010.
It is estimated the move will help support in the region of around 4000 jobs across Scotland.
Local government
Inverness was an autonomous
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
, and
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
for the county of Inverness (also known as
Inverness-shireThe County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
) until 1975, when local government
countiesThe counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s were abolished, under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, in favour of two-tier
regions and districtsThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
and unitary
islands council areasBetween 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
. The royal burgh was then absorbed into a new district of Inverness, which was one of eight districts within the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
region. The new district combined in one area the royal burgh, the Inverness district of the county and the
AirdThe Aird is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, and to the north of Glenurquhart and the northern end of Loch Ness....
district of the county. The rest of the county was divided between other new districts within the Highland region and the Western Isles. Therefore, although much larger than the royal burgh, the new Inverness district was much smaller than the county.
In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the districts were abolished and the region became a unitary council area. The new unitary Highland Council, however, adopted the areas of the former districts as council management areas, and created
area committeeMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
s to represent each. The Inverness committee represents 23 out of the 80 Highland Council wards, with each ward electing one
councillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
by the first past the post system of election. However, management area and committee area boundaries have been out of alignment since 1999, as a result of changes to ward boundaries. Also, ward boundaries are changing again this year, 2007, and the council management areas are being replaced with three new corporate management areas.
Ward boundary changes in 2007, under the
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, create 22 new Highland Council wards, each electing three or four councillors by the
single transferable voteThe single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system of election, a system designed to produce a form of
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The total number of councillors remains the same. Also, the Inverness management area is being merged into the new Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate management area, covering nine of the new wards and electing 34 of the 80 councillors. As well as the Inverness area, the new area includes the former
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
management area and the former
Badenoch and StrathspeyBadenoch and Strathspey as a local government district 1975 to 1996Badenoch and Strathspey is a local government ward of the Highland council area and a ward management area of the Highland Council in Scotland...
management area. The corporate area name is also that of a
constituencyIn the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
, but boundaries are different.
Within the corporate area there is a city management area covering seven of the nine wards, the Aird and Loch Ness ward, the Culloden and Ardersier ward, the Inverness Central ward, the Inverness Millburn ward, the Inverness Ness-side ward, the Inverness South ward and the Inverness West ward. The Nairn ward and the Badenoch and Strathspey ward complete the corporate area. Wards in the city management area are to be represented on a city committee as well as corporate area committees.
Distribution of Highland Council Seats by Party in Inverness
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Party |
Seats |
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Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
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6 |
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Independent |
5 |
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Liberal Democrats |
7 |
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Labour Party The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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4 |
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City status
In 2001
city statusCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
was granted to the
Town of Inverness, and
letters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
were taken into the possession of the Highland Council by the convener of the Inverness area committee. These letters patent, which were sealed in March 2001 and are held by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, create a city of Inverness, but do not refer to anywhere with defined boundaries, except that
Town of Inverness may be taken as a reference to the
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Inverness. As a local government area the burgh was abolished 26 years earlier, in 1975, and so was the county of Inverness for which the burgh was the
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
. Nor do they refer to the former district or to the royal burgh.
The Highland area was created as a
two-tier local government regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
in 1975, and became a unitary local government area in 1996. The region consisted of eight districts, of which one was called Inverness. The districts were all merged into the unitary area. As the new local government authority, the Highland Council then adopted the areas of the districts as council management areas. The management areas were abolished in 2007, in favour of three new corporate management areas. The council has defined a large part of the Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate area as the Inverness city management area. This council-defined city area includes
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
and numerous towns and villages apart from the former burgh of Inverness.
In January 2008 a petition to matriculate
armorial bearingsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
for the City of Inverness was refused by
Lord Lyon King of ArmsThe Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
on the grounds that there is no legal persona to which arms can be granted.
Parliamentary representation
There are three existing
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary constituencies with
Inverness as an element in their names:
- One county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
), created in 2005:
- Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) Danny AlexanderDaniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
- Two county constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(HolyroodThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
), created in 1999:
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Scottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Fergus EwingFergus Ewing is the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Inverness and Nairn.- Background :...
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat MSP John Farquhar MunroJohn Farquhar Munro is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was the MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West from 1999 until his retirement in 2011....
These existing constituencies are effectively subdivisions of the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, but boundaries for Westminster elections are now very different from those for Holyrood elections. The Holyrood constituencies are also subdivisions of the Highlands and Islands
electoral regionScottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
.
Historically there have been six Westminster constituencies:
- One burgh constituency
A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency...
:
- Inverness Burghs, 1708 to 1918
- Five county constituencies:
- Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918....
, 1708 to 1918
- Inverness
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1918 to 1983
- Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
, 1983 to 1997
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005...
, 1997 to 2005
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1997 to 2005
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency, covering the parliamentary burghs of Inverness,
FortroseFortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...
,
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
. Inverness-shire covered, at least nominally, the county of Inverness minus the Inverness parliamentary burgh. As created in 1918, Inverness covered the county minus
Outer HebrideanThe Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
areas, which were merged into the Western Isles constituency. The Inverness constituency included the former parliamentary burgh of Inverness. As created in 1983, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was one of three constituencies covering the Highland
regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
, which had been created in 1975. As first used in 1997, the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituencies were effectively two of three constituencies covering the Highland unitary council area, which had been created in 1996.
Town twinning
- Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany
- Inverness, Florida
Inverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
, USA
- La Baule, France
- St Valery-en-Caux, France
Culture and sports
Inverness is an important centre for
bagpipeBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
players and lovers, since every September the city hosts the
Northern MeetingThe Northern Meeting, established in 1788 in Inverness, Scotland, is best known for its bagpiping competition in September. These competitions are among the most prestigious solo events in the piping world. The most famous competition is the pìobaireachd competition, which is organized in three...
. The
Inverness capeEven though a wide variety of coats, overcoats, and rain gear are worn with Highland Dress to deal with inclement weather, the Inverness cape has come to be almost universally adopted for rainy weather by pipe bands the world over, and many other kilt wearers also find it to be the preferable...
, a garment worn in the rain by pipers the world over, is not necessarily made in Inverness.
Another major event in calendar is the annual City of Inverness
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
. In 2006 Inverness hosted Scotland's biggest ever
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
over two days in July, featuring the Masters' World Championships, the showcase event for heavies aged over 40 years. 2006 was the first year that the Masters' World Championships had been held outside the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it attracted many top heavies from around the world to the Inverness area.
The main theatre in Inverness is called
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
. Actress
Karen GillanKaren Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
is the ambassador for Theatre Art Education.
The current music scene within Inverness generally leans towards an emo/punk/hardcore style, but there are also bands who show features of different genres such as rock, metal, pop, classical, grunge, industrial and traditional Scottish music.
Inverness is home to two summer music festivals, Rockness and the Tartan Heart Festival, that bring a variety of different music to the town.
The city is home to three football clubs.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
was formed in 1994 from the merger of two Highland League clubs,
Caledonian F.C.Caledonian Football Club was a football club from the city of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.-Formation:Caledonian Football Club was formed in 1885 by lads from the 'Big Green' area of Inverness, though some sources quote 1886. They were founder members of the Highland Football League in 1893 and...
and Inverness Thistle. "Caley Thistle" of the
Scottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
plays at the
Tulloch Caledonian StadiumThe Caledonian Stadium, currently known as the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium situated in the Longman area of Inverness, Scotland...
. The town's second football club,
Clachnacuddin F.C.Clachnacuddin F.C. are a semi-professional senior football club from the city of Inverness who currently play in Scotland's Highland Football League. They have won the most League championships in the competition's history a total of 18 times overall. Their home ground is Grant Street Park in the...
, plays in the
Highland LeagueThe Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
.
Inverness Citadel F.C.Inverness Citadel Football Club were a football club based at Shore Street Park in Inverness, Scotland. They were formed in the mid 1880s and were initial members of the Highland Football League when it was formed in 1894. They were league champions on only one occasion, in 1909. They regularly...
was another popular side which became defunct, but had its name revived. The third football side is
Inverness City F.C.Inverness City Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness. Their home strip is white and black and the away strip is red and white....
who play in the North Region Juniors and were formed in 2006.
Highland RFCHighland Rugby Football Club is a rugby union amateur club from the city of Inverness that compete in the Caledonia Regional League Division 1, the Highland Alliance League and the Caledonia Three Northwest...
is the local
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club that competes regularly in the
Caledonia Regional LeagueThe Caledonia Regional League structure is one of three Regional Leagues operated by the Scottish Rugby Union , which play at a level below that of the National League structure. Winners of the league may progress to the National League...
Division One.
Highland HC is the local hockey team with both Mens & Ladies 1st teams in Scottish National Division 2. The Mens 1st team successfully gained promotion from Scottish National Division 3 in 2011.
Inverness Blitz is a charity that promotes the development of
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in Inverness and the surrounding area. Bught Park, located in the centre of Inverness is the finishing point of the annual
Loch Ness MarathonThe Loch Ness Marathon is an annual marathon race in Scotland, held along the famous loch, Loch Ness, ending in Inverness. The event is part of the Festival of Running, held annually at the beginning of October. This also includes a 10K race and a 5K fun run, and attracts over 8,000 participants...
and home of
Inverness Shinty ClubInverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved...
.
In
2011The 2011 European Tour will be the third edition of the Race to Dubai and the 40th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.-Schedule:...
, Inverness hosted professional
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
with the
Scottish OpenThe Scottish Open, which has been sponsored by Barclays Capital since 2002, is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness in the North of Scotland...
on the
European TourThe PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
, played at Castle Stuart the week before
The Open ChampionshipThe 2011 Open Championship was the 140th Open Championship, played from July 14–17 at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland won the event by three strokes for his first major championship victory.-Venue:...
.
Cricket is also played in Inverness, with both Highland CC and Northern Counties playing in the North of Scotland Cricket Association League and 7 welfare league teams playing midweek cricket at Fraser Park. Both teams have been very successful over the years.
Stock car racing was staged in Inverness circa 1973.
In 2007, the city hosted
Highland 2007Highland 2007 was a year-long celebration of Highland culture which took place from January until December 2007. It involved local communities throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as people across Scotland, the UK and beyond....
, a celebration of the culture of the
HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, and will also host the World Highland Games Heavy Championships (21 & 22 July) and European Pipe Band Championships (28 July). 2008 saw the first
Hi-ExHi-Ex is the name given to a Scottish comics convention. It is held early in the year in Eden Court Theatre, Inverness...
(Highlands International Comics Expo), held at the
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
.
Inverness is the location of
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
's castle in Shakespeare's play.
Gaelic in Inverness
Historically, Inverness had a solidly Gaelic speaking population, with the majority of the population having Gaelic as their first language. From approximately the end of the end of the 19th century, following the 1872 Education Act, Inverness suffered a decline in the number of Gaelic speakers in line with the rest of the once
Gaidhealtachd / Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Despite the local dialect of Scottish Gaelic gradually falling out of use (although it continued to affect local English language dialect), the language is still spoken in other dialects and standardised forms. By the end of the 19th century, some rural areas to the south east of Inverness still had completely Gaelic speaking populations, such as Strath Dearn where the majority of the population had acquired fluency in both English and Gaelic.
1677: Inverness was described as "overwhelmingly" Gaelic speaking by the traveller Thomas Kirk.
1704: 57% of the city's population spoke only Gaelic with the remaining 43% also speaking Gaelic with
ScotsScots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
as mainly a second language.
Edward LhuydEdward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
published major work on Inverness Gaelic and after collecting data from between 1699 and 1700, his findings showed a distinct dialect in the area. Gaelic remained the principal language of Invernessians for the rest of the 18th century, despite growing pressure from outwith the Highlands in both political and social contexts.
1798: Thomas Garnett (Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry in the Royal Institution of Great Britain) observed that Inverness had become largely bilingual with Invernessians using Gaelic as the language of the home but English as the language of foreign trade – however, the older generation at the time generally only had the Gaelic. Speaking of those in the countryside immediately surrounding Inverness, Garnett stated that although in Inverness both Gaelic and English “are spoken promiscuously...the language of the country people is Gaelic.”
1828: John Wood praised the standard of both the Gaelic and English spoken in Inverness stating the both languages were spoken with "utmost purity." He noted that children would casually flit between the two languages while playing, asking questions in Gaelic while receiving answers in English and vice-versa.
1882: The Celtic Magazine, published in Inverness, complained that enumerators of the 1881 census who assessed whether families were Gaelic speaking, English speaking or both, had supplied false information. The magazine wrote that "whole families .... scarcely any member of whom can express the commonest idea intelligently in English – who are in every sense Gaelic-speaking people only – were returned by the enumerators as English-speaking."
For its size, Inverness today still has a relatively high density of Gaelic speakers and a relatively lively Gaelic scene, making it one of the centres of the
Scottish Gaelic RenaissanceThe Scottish Gaelic Renaissance is a continuing movement concerning the revival of the Scottish Gaelic language. Although the Scottish Gaelic language had been facing gradual decline in the number of speakers since the late 19th century, the number of young fluent Gaelic speakers is quickly rising...
. According to the 2001 census, 5.47% spoke Gaelic (approx. 2,200 speakers), compared to 1.2% nationally.
The number of Gaelic speakers has fluctuated over the last century. In 1881, the census reported 4,047 Gaelic speakes in Inverness (23.3% of the population) which by 1891 had risen to 6,356 speakers (30.47%). By 1901 this figure had dropped to 5,072 speakers (23.88%) of the population, from which it continued to drop to present day numbers through
emigrationEmigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
and
language shiftLanguage shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
.
Scottish Gaelic is slowly re-appearing in the linguistic landscape, appearing on some signs around Inverness.
Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir NisBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, which opened in August 2007 offering primary school education through the medium of Gaelic, is nearing full capacity and was extended to allow for more pupils in August 2010.
Bòrd na GàidhligBòrd na Gàidhlig is a quango appointed by the Scottish Government with responsibility for Scottish Gaelic...
, an organisation responsible for supporting and promoting the use of Scottish Gaelic, has its main office in Inverness. Other Gaelic related groups include the Inverness Gaelic Choir which has existed for over 70 years. Inverness will also host the
Royal National MòdThe Royal National Mod is the annual national mod, a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture.The Mod is run by An Comunn Gàidhealach , and includes competitions and awards.-History:...
in 2014, a festival celebrating Gaelic culture.
Buildings
Important buildings in Inverness include
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
,
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
and various churches.
The castle was built in 1835 on the site of its medieval predecessor. It is now a
sheriff courtSheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
.
Inverness CathedralInverness Cathedral , also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the city of Inverness in Scotland...
, dedicated to St Andrew, is a cathedral of the
Scottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
and seat of the
ordinaryIn those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the
Diocese of Moray, Ross and CaithnessThe Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Caithness and Sutherland , mainland Ross and Cromarty , and mainland Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Moray and Banffshire . The diocesan centre is St. Andrew's Cathedral in Inverness...
. The cathedral has a curiously square-topped look to its spires, as funds ran out before they could be completed.
The oldest church is the
Old High ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, on St Michael's Mount by the riverside, a site perhaps used for worship since Celtic times. The church tower dates from mediaeval times, making it the oldest surviving building in Inverness. It is used by the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
congregation of
Old High St Stephen's, InvernessOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, and it is the venue for the annual Kirking of the Council, which is attended by local councillors.
Inverness College is the hub campus for the
UHI Millennium InstituteThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
.
Porterfield
PrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, officially
HMP InvernessHM Prison Inverness, also known as Porterfield Prison, is located in the Crown area of Inverness, Scotland, and serves the courts of the Highlands and Islands. It covers all the courts in the Western Isles as well as courts from Fort William, Wick and Elgin...
, serves the courts of the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney Isles and Moray, providing secure custody for all
remandThe detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
prisoners and short term adult prisoners, both male and female (segregated).
Inverness (from the iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ, meaning "Mouth of the River Ness" ) is a
cityCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in the
Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. It is the administrative centre for the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, and is regarded as the capital of the
Highlands of ScotlandThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of
Blàr nam FèinneBlàr nam Fèinne on Cnoc na Moine in The Aird, to the west of Inverness, is the site of the 11th century battle between Scottish forces lead by Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh against Norwegian forces lead by Thorfinn...
against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
which took place on Culloden Moor. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
(Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
enters the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century. The Gaelic king, Mac Bethad mac Findláich (MacBeth) nicknamed An Rígh Dearg (The Red King) held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
The population of Inverness increased by over 10% from 1991–2001 and from 1997–2007 with an estimated population in 2008 of 56,660 or 72,745 including surrounding suburbs. Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities, with a quarter of the Highland population living in or around the city and is ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city. In the recent past, Inverness has experienced rapid economic growth - between 1998 and 2008, Inverness and the rest of the Central Highlands showed the largest growth of average economic productivity per person in Scotland and the second greatest growth in the United Kingdom as a whole, with an increase of 86%. Inverness is twinned with one German city,
AugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
and two French towns, La Baule and
Saint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
.
Inverness College is the main campus for the
University of the Highlands and IslandsThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
. With around 8,500 students, Inverness College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands' students, and 30% of those studying to degree level.
History
Inverness was one of the chief strongholds of the
PictsThe Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, and in AD 565 was visited by St Columba with the intention of converting the Pictish king
BrudeBridei son of Maelchon, was king of the Picts until his death around 584 to 586.Bridei is first mentioned in Irish annals for 558–560, when the Annals of Ulster report "the migration before Máelchú's son i.e. king Bruide". The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later Annals of...
, who is supposed to have resided in the
vitrified fortVitrified fort is the name given to certain crude stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected in a greater or lesser degree to the action of fire. They are generally situated on hills offering strong defensive positions. Their form seems to have been determined by the contour of the flat...
on Craig Phadrig, on the western edge of the city. A 93 oz (2.6 kg) silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south at Torvean in 1983. 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 ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
and graveyard. The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which
Mac Bethad mac Findláich (Macbeth)Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots from 1040 until his death...
had, according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim's father Donnchad (Duncan I), and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.
The strategic location of Inverness has led to many conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city.
Inverness had four traditional fairs, including
LegavrikLegavrik was the name of a the Winter half of the year—1 November to 30 April—in Scotland. Variants include legawreik....
or "Leth-Gheamradh", meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach.
William the LionWilliam the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
(d. 1214) granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
. Of the Dominican friary founded by
Alexander IIIAlexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knight's effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre.
Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the fifteenth century. In 1187 one Domhnall Bán (Donald Bane) led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governor's son, Donnchadh Mac Coinnich (Duncan Mackintosh). Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Bane is said to have been buried in a large cairn near the river, close to where the silver chain was found. Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan MacDonald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, north of Inverness across the
Beauly FirthThe Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
. On his way to the
Battle of HarlawThe Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast....
in 1411,
Donald of IslayDonald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...
harried the city, and sixteen years later
James IJames I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
held a parliament in the castle to which the northern chieftains were summoned, of whom three were executed for asserting an independent sovereignty.
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
defeated
Clan MackintoshClan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
in 1454 at the
Battle of ClachnaharryThe Battle of Clachnaharry was a Scottish clan battle that took place in the year 1454. It was fought between the Clan Munro and the Clan Mackintosh on the south bank of the Beauly Firth at Clachnaharry, on the outskirts of Inverness....
just west of the city. The Clan MacDonald and their allies stormed the castle during the
Raid on RossThe Raid on Ross was a conflict that took place in 1491 in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan Mackenzie against several other clans, including the Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh, Clan MacDonald of Clanranald the Clan Cameron and the Chattan Confederation of Clan Mackintosh...
in 1491.
In 1562, during the progress undertaken to suppress Huntly's insurrection, Mary, Queen of Scots, was denied admittance into
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
by the governor, who belonged to the earl's faction, and whom she afterwards caused to be hanged. The
Clan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
and
Clan FraserClan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, when it was demolished to make way for the second Bridge Street development.
Beyond the then northern limits of the town,
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
built a citadel capable of accommodating 1,000 men, but with the exception of a portion of the ramparts it was demolished at the
RestorationThe Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. The only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower. In 1715 the
JacobitesJacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
occupied the royal fortress as a barracks. In 1727 the government built the first Fort George here, but in 1746 it surrendered to the Jacobites and they blew it up.
CullodenCulloden is the name of a village three miles east of Inverness, Scotland and the surrounding area. Three miles south of the village is Drummossie Moor , site of the Battle of Culloden....
Moor lies nearby, and was the site of the
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746, which ended the
Jacobite RisingThe Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1745–1746.
On 7 September 1921, the first
UK CabinetThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
meeting to be held outside
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
took place in the Town House, when
David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, on holiday in
GairlochGairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. A popular tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a small museum, several hotels, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local...
, called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Inverness Formula composed at this meeting was the basis of the
Anglo-Irish TreatyThe Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
.
Toponymy
Inverness and its immediate hinterland have a large number of originally Gaelic place names as the area was solidly Gaelic-speaking until recently.
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Inverness |
Inbhir Nis |
Mouth of the River Ness |
| Ben Wyvis Ben Wyvis is a mountain located in Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty, Highland, in northern Scotland, north-west of Dingwall. It forms an undulating ridge running roughly north-south for about 5 km, the highest summit of which is Glas Leathad Mòr...
|
Beinn Uais |
Mount Terror |
| Scorguie Scorguie is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It sits between Kinmylies and Clachnaharry and is situated beside the Caledonian Canal at the Muirtown Locks....
|
Sgurr Gaoithe |
The Windy Hill |
| Clachnaharry Clachnaharry is a former fishing village, now part of the city of Inverness in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Clach na h-Aithrigh |
Stone of Repentance |
| Balloch Balloch is a residential village located 4 miles east of the city of Inverness, Scotland.Many children living in the area attend Culloden Academy. Balloch also has a local shop which is currently having an extension constructed. There is a village hall, a bowling club, a village trust and a .Like...
|
Am Bealach |
The Pass |
| Resaurie |
Ruigh Samhraidh |
Summer Slope |
| Raigmore |
Rathaig Mhòir |
Big Fort |
| Balnafettack Balnafettack is an area in the north west of Inverness located in the Scottish Highlands. It is named after the farm upon which the present residential housing is built. It sits above Scorguie and was the final area on the West-side of Inverness to be developed due to its proximity to the steep...
|
Baile nam Feadag |
Farm of the Plovers |
| Culloden |
Cùil Lodair |
Nook of the Marsh |
| Dalneigh Dalneigh is an area in the city of Inverness in Scotland. Located in the west of the city, it lies between the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal. The name is derived from the Gaelic word Dail an Eich, meaning 'Field of the horse'...
|
Dail an Eich |
Field of the Horse |
| Culduthel |
Cuil Daothail |
Quiet northern spot |
| Culcabock Culcabock is a former hamlet in Highland Council Area, Scotland. Culcabock now forms an eastern suburb of Inverness, located 1¼ miles east southeast of the city centre.-References:...
|
Cùil na Càbaig |
Back of the Tillage Land |
| Dalmagarry |
Dail Mac Gearraidh |
Garry's Son's Haugh |
TomatinTomatin is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about south of the city of Inverness. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Tom-Ah-Tin . The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin...
|
Tom Aitinn |
Hill of the Juniper |
| Dell |
Dail MhicEachainn |
MacEachen's Haugh |
| Diriebught |
Tìr nam Bochd |
Land of the Poor |
| Dochfour |
Dabhach Phùir |
Davoch of Pasture Land |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Dochgarroch Dochgarroch is a settlement that lies at the start of the Caledonian Canal, at the head of Loch Ness in Inverness-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
Dabhach Gairbheach |
Rough Davoch |
| Dores Dores is a village located on the south shore of Loch Ness, 10 km south west of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland.The annual RockNess music festival takes place in fields to the north of the village....
|
Dubhras |
Black Wood |
| Drummond |
An Druimein |
The Ridge |
| Drumossie |
Druim Athaisidh |
Ridge of Great Haugh |
| Castle Heather |
Caisteal Leathoir |
Castle on the Slope |
| Inshes Inshes is a small residential area in the east of Inverness, Scotland. Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. Some parts of Inshes were built a few decades ago but most of it was built after 2003. A few houses are still being constructed and...
|
Na h-Innseagan |
The Meadows |
| Kessock |
Ceasaig |
(Saint) Ceasaig |
| Kinmylies |
Ceann a' Mhìlidh |
The Warrior's Head |
| Leachkin Leachkin is a suburb on the western outskirts of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is about 3 km west of the city centre, on the hill sloping towards Craig Dunain and Craig Phadrig....
|
Leacainn |
Broad Hillside |
| Merkinch Merkinch is an area of the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. One of the Inverness's oldest areas, it is located in the north-west of the city, flanked by the Caledonian Canal to the west and the River Ness to the east.Originally, Merkinch was home to Inverness's shipbuilding industry...
|
Marc Innis |
The Horse Meadow |
| Millburn Millburn is an area in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Millburn Academy is situated in the area. The area is also known, as the name suggests, for the Mill Burn which runs through the area. Millburn Road which runs parallel to the school is one of the main access roads into the centre of...
|
Allt a' Mhuilinn |
The Mill River |
| Slackbuie |
An Slag Buidhe |
The Yellow Hollow |
| Smithton |
Baile a' Ghobhainn |
Smiths' Town |
| Tomnahurich |
Tom na h-Iubhraich |
Hill of the Yew Trees |
| Torvean |
Tòrr Bheathain |
MacBean's Hill |
| Abertarff |
Obar Thairbh |
Mouth of the Bull River |
| Ballifeary Ballifeary is district of Inverness, Scotland. It is situated a half-mile south southwest of the town centre. The B-listed Ballifeary House on Ness Walk dates from the mid-19th century, but has been a care home run by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland since 1964. Bught Park lies...
|
Baile na Faire |
The Guard's Farm |
| Placename |
Original Gaelic |
Meaning |
| Lairgmore |
Luirg Mór |
Big slope |
| Essich Essich is a region of Scotland located between Inverness and Loch Ness. It is located 2.7 kilometres from the centre of Inverness and is serviced by Holm Primary School....
|
Easaich |
Place of the Stream |
| Aldourie Aldourie is a small crofting village, on the east shore of Loch Ness and is within the council of Highland, Scotland. Aldourie Castle, seat of the Laird on Dunbar, is close to the village of Aldourie....
|
Allt Dobhraig |
River of the Water |
| Scaniport |
Sganaphort |
Ferry by the Crack |
| Croftnacreich Croftnacreich is a hamlet on the Black Isle, in Ross and Cromarty in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is 1 mile north-west of North Kessock, next to the A9 road and close to the village of Artafallie....
|
Croit na Chrithich |
The Aspen Hut |
| Allanfearn Allanfearn is a small settlement, one mile east of Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, within the Scottish council area of Highland....
|
An t-Àilean Feàrna |
The Alder Meadow |
| Bunchrew Bunchrew is a small village close to the south shore of Beauly Firth in the Highland council area of Scotland...
|
Bun Chraoibh |
Foot of the Tree |
| Craig Dunain |
Creag Dùn Eun |
Rocky Bird Hill |
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
|
Loch Nis |
Lake Ness |
| Craggie |
Cragaidh |
Rocky Place |
| Dalcross |
Dealgros |
Prickle Point |
| Croy |
Chrothaigh |
Hard Place |
| Kilvean |
Cill Bheathain |
Church of St.Bain |
| Lochardil |
Loch Àrdail |
The Church Lake |
| Crown |
Crùn |
Crown |
| Balvonie |
Bhaile a'Mhonaidh |
Village on the hill |
| Bogbain |
Bog Ban |
The White Marsh |
Several Gaelic place names are now largely obsolete due to the feature being removed or forgotten.
Drochaid an Easain Duibh (Bridge by the Small Dark Waterfall), referred to in the tale
Aonghas Mòr Thom na h-Iubhraich agus na Sìthichean (Great Angus of Tomnahurich and the Faries) has not yet been located within Inverness and
Slag nam Mèirleach (meaning Robbers' hollow), adjacent to Doors Road in Holm is no longer in use. Until the late 19th century, four mussel beds existed on the delta mouth of the River Ness: 'Scalp Phàdraig Mhòir' (Scalp of Big Patrick), 'Rònach' (Place of the Seals) 'Cridhe an Uisge' (The Water Heart) and 'Scalp nan Caorach' (Scalp of the Sheep) – these mussel beds were all removed to allow better access for fishing boats and ships.
Allt Muineach (The Thicket River) now runs underground between Culcabock Roundabout and Millburn Roundabout.
An Loch Gorm (The Turquoise Loch), a small sea loch which was situated beside Morrisons supermarket, was filled in during the 19th century and lives on only in the name of Lochgorm Warehouse. Abban Street stems from the word
àban, a word of local Gaelic dialect meaning a small channel of water.
Many prominent points around Inverness retain fully Gaelic names.
Beinn Bhuidhe Bheag – Little Yellow Hill
Beinn Uan – Lamb Hill
Cnoc na Mòine – The Peat Hill
Cnoc na Gaoithe – The Hill of the Wind
Cnoc an t-Seòmair – The Hill of the Room
Creag Liath – Grey Crag
Creag nan Sidhean – The Crag of the Fairies
Doire Mhòr – Great Oakwood
Carn a' Bhodaich – The Old Man's Cairn
Meall Mòr – Great Hill
In the colonial period the name was given by expatriates to settlements in
QuebecInverness is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of the province of Quebec in Canada....
,
Nova ScotiaInverness is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County, Nova Scotia. In 2001 its population was 2,496.Located on the west coast of Cape Breton Island fronting the Gulf of St...
,
MontanaInverness is a census-designated place in Hill County, Montana, United States. The population was 55 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
,
FloridaInverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
,
IllinoisInverness is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 6,749 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Inverness is located at ....
, and
CaliforniaInverness is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in western Marin County, California. Inverness is located on the southwest shore of Tomales Bay northwest of Point Reyes Station, at an elevation of 43 feet . In the 2010 census, the population was 1,304...
. The name Inverness is also given to a feature on Miranda, a moon of the planet Uranus as well as a 2637m tall mountain in British Columbia, Canada. Inverness is also known by its nicknames Inversnecky or The Sneck.
Population
| Year |
Population |
| 2009 |
56,660 |
| 2001 |
44,180 |
| 1991 |
41,234 |
| 1981 |
40,011 |
| 1971 |
34,839 |
| 1961 |
29,774 |
| 1951 |
28,107 |
| 1881 |
17,365 |
| 1871 |
14,469 |
| 1861 |
12,509 |
| 1801 |
-- 8732 |
| 1791 |
-- 7930 |
Geography
Inverness is situated at the mouth of the
River NessThe River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth. On a hill above the river in Inverness stands Inverness Castle. The river is overlooked by the Eden Court Theatre, one of the largest theatres in Scotland. St. Andrews Cathedral also lies along...
(which flows from nearby
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
) and at the southwestern extremity of the
Moray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
. The city lies at the end of the
Great GlenThe Great Glen , also known as Glen Albyn or Glen More is a series of glens in Scotland running 100 kilometres from Inverness on the Moray Firth, to Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe.The Great Glen follows a large geological fault known as the Great Glen Fault...
with Loch Ness, Loch Ashie and Loch Duntelchaig to the west. Inverness'
Caledonian CanalThe Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
also runs through the Great Glen connecting Loch Ness,
Loch OichLoch Oich is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the Great Glen...
, and
Loch LochyLoch Lochy is a large freshwater loch in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. With a mean depth of , it is the third deepest loch of Scotland.-Geography:...
.
The
Ness IslandsThe Ness Islands are situated on the River Ness, opposite the Bught Park, in the city of Inverness, Scotland. The first bridges to the islands were built in 1828, prior to their construction the only access to the islands was by boat...
, a publicly owned park, consist of two wooded islands connected by footbridges and has been used as a place of recreation since the 1840s. Craig Phadraig, once an ancient Gaelic and Pictish hillfort is a 240m hill which offers hikes on a clear pathway through the wooded terrain.
Inverness lies on the Great Glen Fault. The last earthquake to affect Inverness occurred in 1934.
Location
Climate
In common with all of the British Isles Inverness has an
oceanic climateAn oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
. Despite is Northerly location, the climate is surprisingly mild due to its low lying, coastal position - in an average year under 40 frosts will be recorded.
Health
Raigmore is the main hospital in Inverness and the entire Highland authority. The present hospital opened in 1970, replacing wartime wards dating from 1941.
Raigmore is also a teaching hospital catering for both the Universities of Aberdeen and Stirling. A new Centre for Health Science is located behind
Raigmore HospitalRaigmore Hospital in Inverness is the main hospital in the area of NHS Highland Health Board. It serves patients from its own and adjacent Community Health Partnership areas as well as those from adjacent Health Board areas. It is also a teaching hospital in association with the Universities of...
. This is being funded by
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
, the
Scottish ExecutiveThe Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
and Johnson and Johnson. Phase I of this opened in early 2007, phase II is under construction and phase III has been funded. The
University of StirlingThe University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
is moving its operations from Raigmore Hospital to the CfHS. The UHI also has strong links with the centre through its Faculty of Health.
Economy
Most of the traditional industries such as distilling have been replaced by high-tech businesses, such as the design and manufacture of diabetes diagnostic kits.
Highlands and Islands EnterpriseHighlands and Islands Enterprise is the Scottish Government's economic and community development agency for a diverse region which covers more than half of Scotland and is home to around 450,000 people....
has partly funded the Centre for Health Science with a view to attracting more businesses in the medical and medical devices business to the area. Inverness is home to
Scottish Natural HeritageScottish Natural Heritage is a Scottish public body. It is responsible for Scotland's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government and acts as a government agent in the delivery of conservation designations, i.e...
following that body's relocation from Edinburgh under the auspices of the Scottish Government's decentralisation strategy. SNH provides a large number of jobs in the area.
Inverness City Centre lies on the east bank of the river and is linked to the west side of the town by three road bridges (Ness Bridge, Friars Bridge and the Black (or Waterloo) Bridge) and by one of the town's suspension foot bridges, the Grieg Street Bridge. The traditional city centre was a triangle bounded by High Street, Church Street and Academy Street, within which Union Street and Queensgate are cross streets parallel to High Street. Between Union Street and Queensgate is the Victorian Market, which contains a large number of small shops. The main
Inverness railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
is almost directly opposite the Academy Street entrance to the Market. From the 1970s, the
Eastgate Shopping CentreEastgate Shopping Centre is located in Inverness, serving the largest shopping catchment area in Europe. The centre has two main anchor stores, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Fund are the present owners of the Eastgate....
was developed to the east of High Street, with a substantial extension being completed in 2003.
Education
The city has a number of different education providers. Inverness is catered for by about a dozen primary schools including
Inverness Gaelic Primary SchoolBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, a specialised institution situated at Slackbuie. There are 5 secondary schools:
Inverness High SchoolInverness High School is a secondary school on Montague Row in Inverness, Scotland.-Admissions:From a peak of over 1,600 pupils, the school's current roll is around 450. Its feeders are Central, Dalneigh, Bishop Eden's, St Joseph's and Merkinch Primary Schools...
,
Inverness Royal AcademyInverness Royal Academy is a secondary school located in the Culduthel area of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.- Catchment area :...
,
Charleston AcademyCharleston Academy was established in 1978 and is located in the Kinmylies area of Inverness, Scotland. The school has an average pupil population of 850...
,
Millburn AcademyMillburn Academy is a six-year secondary school in Inverness, Scotland. It serves the portion of Inverness east of the River Ness along with rural areas to the south of the city, with a catchment area that includes the primary schools of Crown, Daviot, Drakies, Inshes, Raigmore and Strathdearn...
and
Culloden AcademyThe Culloden Academy is a non-denominational secondary school in Culloden, Highland, Scotland. The building was completed in 1982 and, as of session 2007/08, has an enrollment of 1,031 pupils. The current rector of The Culloden Academy is Mr Stephen T Dowds who became rector in 2004...
. Additionally there is
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
which offers further and higher education courses to those of school leaving age and above. The City also has a new Centre for Health Sciences adjacent to Raigmore Hospital.
University of the Highlands and Islands
Inverness College is situated in the city and is the main campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands, a
federationAn affiliated school is an educational institution that operates independently, but also has a formal collaborative agreement with another, usually larger institution that may have some level of control or influence over its academic policies, standards or programs.While a university may have one...
of 15
collegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
delivering
higher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
.
Plans for a new campus have been in place for some time with a contest between redevelopment of the current Longman site and a new development at Beechwood Farm being considered. As of May 2010 it was decided that the college shall move to a new purpose-built 200 acre campus at the Beechwood Farm location.
The planning application for phase 1 of a new campus for UHI was passed by The Highland Council in May 2010. The original outline planning application for the entire landholding submitted early 2009 remains live. This application forms a vision for the development over the next thirty years. The application includes:
- Academic buildings – up to 70,480 sqm
- Business and incubation units – up to 49,500 sqm
- Indoor sports complex – up to 9,000 sqm
- Student and other short term residences – 44,950 sqm
- Associated landscape, open space, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and services necessary to support the development phases
- Up to 200 residential units
- A social enterprise-run hotel
The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) campus at Beechwood, just off the A9 south of Inverness, is considered to be one of the most important developments for the region over the next 20 years. The principal of UHI, James Fraser, said: “This is a flagship development which will provide Inverness with a university campus and vibrant student life. It will have a major impact on the city and on the Highlands and Islands. UHI is a partnership of colleges and research centres throughout the region, and the development of any one partner brings strength to the whole institution."
It is estimated that the new campus would contribute more than £50m to the economy of the Highlands because it could attract innovative commercial businesses interested in research and development, while increasing the number of students who study within the city by around 3,000.
Transport
Inverness is linked to the
Black IsleThe Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
across the Moray Firth by the
Kessock BridgeThe Kessock Bridge carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness.-Description:The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the village of North Kessock and the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.The bridge has a...
. It has a
railway stationInverness railway station is the railway station serving the Scottish city of Inverness.- History :Opened on 5 November 1855 as the western terminus of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, it is now the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line , the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the...
with services to
PerthPerth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
,
Thurso-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
, Wick and to
Kyle of LochalshKyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...
. Inverness is connected to London by the
Caledonian SleeperThe Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera....
, which departs six times a week and by the
Highland Chieftain which runs 7 days a week.
Inverness AirportInverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
is located 15 km east of the city and has scheduled flights to airports across the UK including
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
,
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and the islands to the north and west of Scotland. Flybe operate flights to Gatwick, Manchester, Belfast, Birmingham, Southampton and Jersey. Loganair, Flybe's franchise partner, operate Saab 340 aircraft to Stornoway, Kirkwall, Sumburgh, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Three trunk roads (the A9,
A82The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. It is the second longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other...
and A96) provide access to Aberdeen, Perth, Elgin, Wick, Thurso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Stagecoach HighlandsStagecoach Highlands is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach in May 2008.-History:...
is the division of the Stagecoach Group which covers most of the former Rapson Group operations after the take-over by Stagecoach.
It covers the following depots of the Stagecoach Group.
- Fort William
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
(Ardgour Road, Caol) (t/a Stagecoach in Lochaber)
- Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
(Scott's Road Hatson Industrial Estate) (t/a Stagecoach in Orkney)
- Portree
Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....
(Park Road) (t/a Stagecoach in Skye)
- Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
(Janet Street) (t/a Stagecoach in Caithness)
There are various outstations over the division area due to the rural nature of the area covered.
The operation from
AviemoreAviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
depot comes under the East Scotland division as it trades as
Stagecoach in Inverness.
Inverness Trunk Road Link
Plans are in place to convert the A96 between Inverness and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
to a dual carriageway and to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the town.
The bypass, known as the
Inverness Trunk Road LinkPlans are in place to construct a southern bypass that would link the A9, A82 and A96 together involving crossings of the Caledonian Canal and the River Ness in the Torvean area, southwest of the city. The bypass, known as the Inverness Trunk Road Link , is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport...
(TRL), is aimed at resolving Inverness’s transport problems and has been split into two separate projects, the east and west sections. The east section will bypass Inshes Roundabout, a notorious traffic bottleneck, using a new road linking the existing Southern Distributor with the A9 and the A96, both via grade separated interchanges. This proposed new link road would bypass Inshes roundabout, as stated before, and separate strategic traffic from local traffic as well as accommodating proposals for new development at the West Seafield Retail and Business Park and also a new UHI campus.
At the west end, two options for crossing the river and canal were developed. One involving a high level vertical opening bridge which will allow the majority of canal traffic to pass under without the need for opening. The other involved a bridge over the river and an aqueduct under the canal. Both of these designs are technically complex and were considered in detail along by the key stakeholders involved in the project. Ultimately it was decided that a bridge over the river and a tunnel under the canal were the best option, allow more expensive.
In late 2008 the controversial decision by the Scottish Government not to include the full Inverness bypass in its transport plan for the next 20 years was made. The government's Strategic Transport Projects Review did include the eastern section of the route, which will see the A9 at Inshes linked to the A96.
But the absence of the TRL's western section, which would include a permanent crossing over the Caledonian Canal and River Ness, sparked dismay among several Highland councillors and business leaders in Inverness who feel the bypass is vital for the city's future economic growth.
Upgrading of the A9 South
In late 2008 the Scottish Government's transport plan for the next 20 years was announced. It brings forward planned improvements to the A9 in an attempt to stimulate the economy and protect jobs.
Work costing a total of £8.5 million will take place at
MoyThe village of Moy is situated between the villages of Daviot and Tomatin, in the Highland region of Scotland. It sits beside Loch Moy and used to have a railway station on the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway.-History:...
,
CarrbridgeCarrbridge is a village in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands. It lies off the A9 road on the A938 road, west of Skye of Curr, southeast of Findhom Bridge, near Bogroy.It has the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands and nearby ancient pine forest contains the Landmark Forest...
and
BankfootBankfoot is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately eight miles north of Perth and seven miles south of Dunkeld. Bankfoot had a population of 1,136 in 2001.-Education:...
. Northbound overtaking lanes will be created and the carriageways reconstructed at both Moy and Carrbridge. Junction improvements will also be made at Moy, with work due to get under way in September 2009. With the Carrbridge scheme is due to be begin in February 2009.
Nationally an extra £38 million is to be spent this financial year, followed by a further £232 million in 2009 and 2010.
It is estimated the move will help support in the region of around 4000 jobs across Scotland.
Local government
Inverness was an autonomous
royal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
, and
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
for the county of Inverness (also known as
Inverness-shireThe County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
) until 1975, when local government
countiesThe counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s were abolished, under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, in favour of two-tier
regions and districtsThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
and unitary
islands council areasBetween 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:* Orkney* Shetland* Western IslesThe islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government Act 1973, which came into force in 1975...
. The royal burgh was then absorbed into a new district of Inverness, which was one of eight districts within the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
region. The new district combined in one area the royal burgh, the Inverness district of the county and the
AirdThe Aird is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, and to the north of Glenurquhart and the northern end of Loch Ness....
district of the county. The rest of the county was divided between other new districts within the Highland region and the Western Isles. Therefore, although much larger than the royal burgh, the new Inverness district was much smaller than the county.
In 1996, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, the districts were abolished and the region became a unitary council area. The new unitary Highland Council, however, adopted the areas of the former districts as council management areas, and created
area committeeMany large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees, with responsibility for services in a particular part of the area covered by the council....
s to represent each. The Inverness committee represents 23 out of the 80 Highland Council wards, with each ward electing one
councillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
by the first past the post system of election. However, management area and committee area boundaries have been out of alignment since 1999, as a result of changes to ward boundaries. Also, ward boundaries are changing again this year, 2007, and the council management areas are being replaced with three new corporate management areas.
Ward boundary changes in 2007, under the
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, create 22 new Highland Council wards, each electing three or four councillors by the
single transferable voteThe single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system of election, a system designed to produce a form of
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The total number of councillors remains the same. Also, the Inverness management area is being merged into the new Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate management area, covering nine of the new wards and electing 34 of the 80 councillors. As well as the Inverness area, the new area includes the former
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
management area and the former
Badenoch and StrathspeyBadenoch and Strathspey as a local government district 1975 to 1996Badenoch and Strathspey is a local government ward of the Highland council area and a ward management area of the Highland Council in Scotland...
management area. The corporate area name is also that of a
constituencyIn the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
, but boundaries are different.
Within the corporate area there is a city management area covering seven of the nine wards, the Aird and Loch Ness ward, the Culloden and Ardersier ward, the Inverness Central ward, the Inverness Millburn ward, the Inverness Ness-side ward, the Inverness South ward and the Inverness West ward. The Nairn ward and the Badenoch and Strathspey ward complete the corporate area. Wards in the city management area are to be represented on a city committee as well as corporate area committees.
Distribution of Highland Council Seats by Party in Inverness
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Party |
Seats |
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Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
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6 |
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Independent |
5 |
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Liberal Democrats |
7 |
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Labour Party The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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4 |
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City status
In 2001
city statusCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
was granted to the
Town of Inverness, and
letters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
were taken into the possession of the Highland Council by the convener of the Inverness area committee. These letters patent, which were sealed in March 2001 and are held by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, create a city of Inverness, but do not refer to anywhere with defined boundaries, except that
Town of Inverness may be taken as a reference to the
burghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
of Inverness. As a local government area the burgh was abolished 26 years earlier, in 1975, and so was the county of Inverness for which the burgh was the
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
. Nor do they refer to the former district or to the royal burgh.
The Highland area was created as a
two-tier local government regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
in 1975, and became a unitary local government area in 1996. The region consisted of eight districts, of which one was called Inverness. The districts were all merged into the unitary area. As the new local government authority, the Highland Council then adopted the areas of the districts as council management areas. The management areas were abolished in 2007, in favour of three new corporate management areas. The council has defined a large part of the Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey corporate area as the Inverness city management area. This council-defined city area includes
Loch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
and numerous towns and villages apart from the former burgh of Inverness.
In January 2008 a petition to matriculate
armorial bearingsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
for the City of Inverness was refused by
Lord Lyon King of ArmsThe Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
on the grounds that there is no legal persona to which arms can be granted.
Parliamentary representation
There are three existing
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
ary constituencies with
Inverness as an element in their names:
- One county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
), created in 2005:
- Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) Danny AlexanderDaniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
- Two county constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
(HolyroodThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on 7...
), created in 1999:
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Scottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Fergus EwingFergus Ewing is the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Inverness and Nairn.- Background :...
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, currently represented by Liberal Democrat MSP John Farquhar MunroJohn Farquhar Munro is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was the MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West from 1999 until his retirement in 2011....
These existing constituencies are effectively subdivisions of the
HighlandHighland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area, but boundaries for Westminster elections are now very different from those for Holyrood elections. The Holyrood constituencies are also subdivisions of the Highlands and Islands
electoral regionScottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
.
Historically there have been six Westminster constituencies:
- One burgh constituency
A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency...
:
- Inverness Burghs, 1708 to 1918
- Five county constituencies:
- Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918....
, 1708 to 1918
- Inverness
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1918 to 1983
- Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
, 1983 to 1997
- Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005...
, 1997 to 2005
- Ross, Skye and Inverness West
Ross, Skye and Inverness West was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
, 1997 to 2005
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency, covering the parliamentary burghs of Inverness,
FortroseFortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...
,
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
. Inverness-shire covered, at least nominally, the county of Inverness minus the Inverness parliamentary burgh. As created in 1918, Inverness covered the county minus
Outer HebrideanThe Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
areas, which were merged into the Western Isles constituency. The Inverness constituency included the former parliamentary burgh of Inverness. As created in 1983, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was one of three constituencies covering the Highland
regionThe local government areas of Scotland were redefined by the Local Government Act 1973 and redefined again by the Local Government etc Act 1994....
, which had been created in 1975. As first used in 1997, the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituencies were effectively two of three constituencies covering the Highland unitary council area, which had been created in 1996.
Town twinning
- Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany
- Inverness, Florida
Inverness is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 7,210. It is the county seat of Citrus County.-Geography:...
, USA
- La Baule, France
- St Valery-en-Caux, France
Culture and sports
Inverness is an important centre for
bagpipeBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
players and lovers, since every September the city hosts the
Northern MeetingThe Northern Meeting, established in 1788 in Inverness, Scotland, is best known for its bagpiping competition in September. These competitions are among the most prestigious solo events in the piping world. The most famous competition is the pìobaireachd competition, which is organized in three...
. The
Inverness capeEven though a wide variety of coats, overcoats, and rain gear are worn with Highland Dress to deal with inclement weather, the Inverness cape has come to be almost universally adopted for rainy weather by pipe bands the world over, and many other kilt wearers also find it to be the preferable...
, a garment worn in the rain by pipers the world over, is not necessarily made in Inverness.
Another major event in calendar is the annual City of Inverness
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
. In 2006 Inverness hosted Scotland's biggest ever
Highland GamesHighland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
over two days in July, featuring the Masters' World Championships, the showcase event for heavies aged over 40 years. 2006 was the first year that the Masters' World Championships had been held outside the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it attracted many top heavies from around the world to the Inverness area.
The main theatre in Inverness is called
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
. Actress
Karen GillanKaren Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
is the ambassador for Theatre Art Education.
The current music scene within Inverness generally leans towards an emo/punk/hardcore style, but there are also bands who show features of different genres such as rock, metal, pop, classical, grunge, industrial and traditional Scottish music.
Inverness is home to two summer music festivals, Rockness and the Tartan Heart Festival, that bring a variety of different music to the town.
The city is home to three football clubs.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
was formed in 1994 from the merger of two Highland League clubs,
Caledonian F.C.Caledonian Football Club was a football club from the city of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.-Formation:Caledonian Football Club was formed in 1885 by lads from the 'Big Green' area of Inverness, though some sources quote 1886. They were founder members of the Highland Football League in 1893 and...
and Inverness Thistle. "Caley Thistle" of the
Scottish Premier LeagueThe Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
plays at the
Tulloch Caledonian StadiumThe Caledonian Stadium, currently known as the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium situated in the Longman area of Inverness, Scotland...
. The town's second football club,
Clachnacuddin F.C.Clachnacuddin F.C. are a semi-professional senior football club from the city of Inverness who currently play in Scotland's Highland Football League. They have won the most League championships in the competition's history a total of 18 times overall. Their home ground is Grant Street Park in the...
, plays in the
Highland LeagueThe Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
.
Inverness Citadel F.C.Inverness Citadel Football Club were a football club based at Shore Street Park in Inverness, Scotland. They were formed in the mid 1880s and were initial members of the Highland Football League when it was formed in 1894. They were league champions on only one occasion, in 1909. They regularly...
was another popular side which became defunct, but had its name revived. The third football side is
Inverness City F.C.Inverness City Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness. Their home strip is white and black and the away strip is red and white....
who play in the North Region Juniors and were formed in 2006.
Highland RFCHighland Rugby Football Club is a rugby union amateur club from the city of Inverness that compete in the Caledonia Regional League Division 1, the Highland Alliance League and the Caledonia Three Northwest...
is the local
rugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club that competes regularly in the
Caledonia Regional LeagueThe Caledonia Regional League structure is one of three Regional Leagues operated by the Scottish Rugby Union , which play at a level below that of the National League structure. Winners of the league may progress to the National League...
Division One.
Highland HC is the local hockey team with both Mens & Ladies 1st teams in Scottish National Division 2. The Mens 1st team successfully gained promotion from Scottish National Division 3 in 2011.
Inverness Blitz is a charity that promotes the development of
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in Inverness and the surrounding area. Bught Park, located in the centre of Inverness is the finishing point of the annual
Loch Ness MarathonThe Loch Ness Marathon is an annual marathon race in Scotland, held along the famous loch, Loch Ness, ending in Inverness. The event is part of the Festival of Running, held annually at the beginning of October. This also includes a 10K race and a 5K fun run, and attracts over 8,000 participants...
and home of
Inverness Shinty ClubInverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved...
.
In
2011The 2011 European Tour will be the third edition of the Race to Dubai and the 40th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972.-Schedule:...
, Inverness hosted professional
golfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
with the
Scottish OpenThe Scottish Open, which has been sponsored by Barclays Capital since 2002, is one of the richer golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is currently played at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness in the North of Scotland...
on the
European TourThe PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
, played at Castle Stuart the week before
The Open ChampionshipThe 2011 Open Championship was the 140th Open Championship, played from July 14–17 at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland won the event by three strokes for his first major championship victory.-Venue:...
.
Cricket is also played in Inverness, with both Highland CC and Northern Counties playing in the North of Scotland Cricket Association League and 7 welfare league teams playing midweek cricket at Fraser Park. Both teams have been very successful over the years.
Stock car racing was staged in Inverness circa 1973.
In 2007, the city hosted
Highland 2007Highland 2007 was a year-long celebration of Highland culture which took place from January until December 2007. It involved local communities throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as people across Scotland, the UK and beyond....
, a celebration of the culture of the
HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, and will also host the World Highland Games Heavy Championships (21 & 22 July) and European Pipe Band Championships (28 July). 2008 saw the first
Hi-ExHi-Ex is the name given to a Scottish comics convention. It is held early in the year in Eden Court Theatre, Inverness...
(Highlands International Comics Expo), held at the
Eden Court TheatreEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
.
Inverness is the location of
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
's castle in Shakespeare's play.
Gaelic in Inverness
Historically, Inverness had a solidly Gaelic speaking population, with the majority of the population having Gaelic as their first language. From approximately the end of the end of the 19th century, following the 1872 Education Act, Inverness suffered a decline in the number of Gaelic speakers in line with the rest of the once
Gaidhealtachd / Scottish HighlandsThe Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
. Despite the local dialect of Scottish Gaelic gradually falling out of use (although it continued to affect local English language dialect), the language is still spoken in other dialects and standardised forms. By the end of the 19th century, some rural areas to the south east of Inverness still had completely Gaelic speaking populations, such as Strath Dearn where the majority of the population had acquired fluency in both English and Gaelic.
1677: Inverness was described as "overwhelmingly" Gaelic speaking by the traveller Thomas Kirk.
1704: 57% of the city's population spoke only Gaelic with the remaining 43% also speaking Gaelic with
ScotsScots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
as mainly a second language.
Edward LhuydEdward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
published major work on Inverness Gaelic and after collecting data from between 1699 and 1700, his findings showed a distinct dialect in the area. Gaelic remained the principal language of Invernessians for the rest of the 18th century, despite growing pressure from outwith the Highlands in both political and social contexts.
1798: Thomas Garnett (Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry in the Royal Institution of Great Britain) observed that Inverness had become largely bilingual with Invernessians using Gaelic as the language of the home but English as the language of foreign trade – however, the older generation at the time generally only had the Gaelic. Speaking of those in the countryside immediately surrounding Inverness, Garnett stated that although in Inverness both Gaelic and English “are spoken promiscuously...the language of the country people is Gaelic.”
1828: John Wood praised the standard of both the Gaelic and English spoken in Inverness stating the both languages were spoken with "utmost purity." He noted that children would casually flit between the two languages while playing, asking questions in Gaelic while receiving answers in English and vice-versa.
1882: The Celtic Magazine, published in Inverness, complained that enumerators of the 1881 census who assessed whether families were Gaelic speaking, English speaking or both, had supplied false information. The magazine wrote that "whole families .... scarcely any member of whom can express the commonest idea intelligently in English – who are in every sense Gaelic-speaking people only – were returned by the enumerators as English-speaking."
For its size, Inverness today still has a relatively high density of Gaelic speakers and a relatively lively Gaelic scene, making it one of the centres of the
Scottish Gaelic RenaissanceThe Scottish Gaelic Renaissance is a continuing movement concerning the revival of the Scottish Gaelic language. Although the Scottish Gaelic language had been facing gradual decline in the number of speakers since the late 19th century, the number of young fluent Gaelic speakers is quickly rising...
. According to the 2001 census, 5.47% spoke Gaelic (approx. 2,200 speakers), compared to 1.2% nationally.
The number of Gaelic speakers has fluctuated over the last century. In 1881, the census reported 4,047 Gaelic speakes in Inverness (23.3% of the population) which by 1891 had risen to 6,356 speakers (30.47%). By 1901 this figure had dropped to 5,072 speakers (23.88%) of the population, from which it continued to drop to present day numbers through
emigrationEmigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
and
language shiftLanguage shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of individuals with a given mother tongue who speak...
.
Scottish Gaelic is slowly re-appearing in the linguistic landscape, appearing on some signs around Inverness.
Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir NisBun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis or Inverness Gaelic Primary School is a primary school in Inverness, Scotland, which teaches through the medium of Scottish Gaelic, commonly known as Gaelic medium education. Opened in August 2007, the school has seven classrooms and has been designed for a maximum...
, which opened in August 2007 offering primary school education through the medium of Gaelic, is nearing full capacity and was extended to allow for more pupils in August 2010.
Bòrd na GàidhligBòrd na Gàidhlig is a quango appointed by the Scottish Government with responsibility for Scottish Gaelic...
, an organisation responsible for supporting and promoting the use of Scottish Gaelic, has its main office in Inverness. Other Gaelic related groups include the Inverness Gaelic Choir which has existed for over 70 years. Inverness will also host the
Royal National MòdThe Royal National Mod is the annual national mod, a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture.The Mod is run by An Comunn Gàidhealach , and includes competitions and awards.-History:...
in 2014, a festival celebrating Gaelic culture.
Buildings
Important buildings in Inverness include
Inverness CastleInverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
,
Inverness CollegeInverness College is a college based in Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the hub campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands and its executive offices are located on the banks of the River Ness in the centre of town. The main campus is in the Longman, there is...
and various churches.
The castle was built in 1835 on the site of its medieval predecessor. It is now a
sheriff courtSheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
.
Inverness CathedralInverness Cathedral , also known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the city of Inverness in Scotland...
, dedicated to St Andrew, is a cathedral of the
Scottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
and seat of the
ordinaryIn those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the
Diocese of Moray, Ross and CaithnessThe Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Caithness and Sutherland , mainland Ross and Cromarty , and mainland Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Moray and Banffshire . The diocesan centre is St. Andrew's Cathedral in Inverness...
. The cathedral has a curiously square-topped look to its spires, as funds ran out before they could be completed.
The oldest church is the
Old High ChurchOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, on St Michael's Mount by the riverside, a site perhaps used for worship since Celtic times. The church tower dates from mediaeval times, making it the oldest surviving building in Inverness. It is used by the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
congregation of
Old High St Stephen's, InvernessOld High St Stephen's Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands of Scotland. The congregation was formed on 30 October 2003 by a union of the congregations of Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's...
, and it is the venue for the annual Kirking of the Council, which is attended by local councillors.
Inverness College is the hub campus for the
UHI Millennium InstituteThe University of the Highlands and Islands is a federation of 13 colleges and research institutions in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland delivering higher education. Its executive office is in Inverness.-History:...
.
Porterfield
PrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, officially
HMP InvernessHM Prison Inverness, also known as Porterfield Prison, is located in the Crown area of Inverness, Scotland, and serves the courts of the Highlands and Islands. It covers all the courts in the Western Isles as well as courts from Fort William, Wick and Elgin...
, serves the courts of the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney Isles and Moray, providing secure custody for all
remandThe detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
prisoners and short term adult prisoners, both male and female (segregated).
Towns and villages
Apart from the former burgh of Inverness, the Highland Council's city management area includes
ArdersierArdersier is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands, on the Moray Firth, east of Inverness, near Fort George, and Nairn . Its name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one local legend being that carpenters working on the construction...
,
BeaulyBeauly is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901...
,
CullodenCulloden is the name of a village three miles east of Inverness, Scotland and the surrounding area. Three miles south of the village is Drummossie Moor , site of the Battle of Culloden....
, Balloch,
DrumnadrochitDrumnadrochit is a village inthe Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying on the west shore of Loch Ness, at the foot of Glen Urquhart.-History:...
,
Fort AugustusFort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
,
InvermoristonInvermoriston is a small village 7 miles north of Fort Augustus, Highland, Scotland. The village is on the A82 road, at a junction with the A887. The village's most visited attraction is the Thomas Telford bridge, built in 1813, which crosses the spectacular River Moriston falls...
, Smithton,
TomatinTomatin is a small village on the River Findhorn in Strathdearn in the Scottish Highlands about south of the city of Inverness. The name derives from the Scottish Gaelic name Tom-Ah-Tin . The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin...
, Kirkhill and
KiltarlityKiltarlity is a small village in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is west of Inverness, and south of Beauly, on the Bruiach Burn. It has a population of under 1000 people, and a primary school, Tomnacross Primary...
.
External links