Lochaber Archive Centre

Lochaber Archive Centre Lochaber Archive Centre is the Lochaber office of the Highland Archives Service Lochaber Archive Centre holds historic archives relating to the Lochaber area.

High Life Highland is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland No. SC407011 and is a registered Scottish charity No. SC042593

Postcards showing Arisaig house and surrounding scenes, undated. From the Arisaig Estate Papers, part of the West Highla...
11/06/2026

Postcards showing Arisaig house and surrounding scenes, undated.
From the Arisaig Estate Papers, part of the West Highland Museum Collection.

(L/D130/B/9/2)

Book entitled 'Garden Notes' belonging to Constance Astley of Arisaig, October 18th 1906 - containing the handwritten ep...
09/06/2026

Book entitled 'Garden Notes' belonging to Constance Astley of Arisaig, October 18th 1906 - containing the handwritten epigraph:

'Awake, O North wind; come thou South, Blow upon my Garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.'

(L/D130/B/8/2/2/1)

Kilmonivaig School Shinty team, n.d., presumed early 20th Century. (CI/L/5/3/144K).
06/06/2026

Kilmonivaig School Shinty team, n.d., presumed early 20th Century.

(CI/L/5/3/144K).

Halcrow’s annual staff dance, early 1950s.Originally founded in 1868, Halcrow was one of the largest engineering consult...
04/06/2026

Halcrow’s annual staff dance, early 1950s.

Originally founded in 1868, Halcrow was one of the largest engineering consultancy companies in the UK. It was acquired by CH2M Hill in 2011, after which the brand was discontinued. The company specialised in the provision of planning, design and management services for large infrastructure developments, and was responsible for the Mulberry harbours used in the D-Day landings and, more recently, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Having expanded into tunnelling and hydroelectric projects during the first half of the 20th century, after World War II the company developed schemes for the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. The first and largest of these began at Glen Affric in 1947. The photograph was taken at the Spean Bridge Hotel.

(Source: Am Baile)

This morning, we were delighted to welcome staff and pupils at Invergarry Pirmary School to the Lochaber Archive Centre ...
03/06/2026

This morning, we were delighted to welcome staff and pupils at Invergarry Pirmary School to the Lochaber Archive Centre for an introduction to all things archives and a tour of our archive strongroom!

Detention Book, Fort William Police Station, 1875, showing people being held in the cells: Gillean MacLean, a tailor and...
02/06/2026

Detention Book, Fort William Police Station, 1875, showing people being held in the cells: Gillean MacLean, a tailor and John Cameron, a shepherd, for assault; a clerk called Henry Young for forgery; George Cameron, a schoolmaster, for breach of the peace; and Margaret Campbell, a hawker and Isabella Clark, a vagrant, for drunkenness.

(R91/D/C/5/3/1)

Letter from Colonel William Brayne, first Governor of the Fort of Inverlochy during the English occupation of Scotland, ...
30/05/2026

Letter from Colonel William Brayne, first Governor of the Fort of Inverlochy during the English occupation of Scotland, to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, 12 July 1654, concerning supplies needed at Inverlochy:

'May it please your Highness
The men of Warr which are ordered to attend on this Coast doe stand in need of many necessarys, which they cannot bee furnished with all at Liverpool; without an espesiall order; therefore I humbly begg your HIghnesse order to Alderman Walley and Victuallers there; that hee may furnish them with all necessarys; for should they be forced to come to London to bee supplyed the service would bee much re****ed, nor can they in ye Winter, subsist in these Seas except they been sufficiently provided.
I have as yet heard nothing of the Shipping that were to come with money & provisions from Chester, only the Hare is arrrived heere from Ireland with a monthes pay for this fort according to ye Irish Establishment.
For my wants I shall addresse myselfe to his Excellency General Fleetwood and General Monck, who I hope will supply them and in all things shal endeavour to approve my selfe
Your Highness' most obedient servant
Wm. Brayne
Inverloughy, July 12th 1654'.

Colonel Brayne arrived with 2000 men from Ireland in the Highlands in 1653, and in 1654 the timber fort of Inverlochy was built to try to control the clans in Lochaber. Col. Brayne was appointed commander in Jamaica in 1656, and died there in 1657. The Inverlochy fort was destroyed after the Stuart Restoration in 1660 and the end of the English occupation, but was rebuilt in the 1690s in stone, and named Fort William.

(L/D142/1/6)

28/05/2026

Learn with Lorna 260 – Treasures of the Highland Archive Service
Part of a series of events to share the collections of the Highland Archive Service.
This livecast is being brought to you by High Life Highland at no cost to the viewer.
High Life Highland is a charity registered in Scotland.
This event does not require any payment or subscription but we welcome donations.
To donate please visit https://shop.highlifehighland.com/products/archives-choose-your-donation
All previous episodes can be seen at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxasYGi8kIcL7OThf1QGsHAMACY_1DGE&si=1u6WUF-hBjP7iV1H

Laggan Dam, photographed in the 1930s by Gordon Shennan. (Gordon Shennan Collection, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery)
27/05/2026

Laggan Dam, photographed in the 1930s by Gordon Shennan.

(Gordon Shennan Collection, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery)

26/05/2026

The Lochaber Archive Centre will be closed on Thursday (28th May), as I will be an exciting in-person Learn with Lorna event at the Highland Archive Centre!

We will be open as usual on Friday morning.
Many thanks 🙂

Address

Fort William
PH336

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 5pm
Friday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 5pm

Telephone

+441397707050

Website

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