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Our hard-working staff and volunteers need and deserve some time off!  But we know that you might want to visit our Museum too so here is the plan for the rest of December and into January:Monday 23rd  – open 10am till 4pmTuesday 24th – open  10am till 3pmChristmas Day, 25th – closedThursday 26th –  open 10am till 4pmFriday 27th – open 10am till 4pmSaturday 28th – open 10am till 4pmSunday 29th – closedMonday 30th – open 10am till 4pmTuesday 31st – open 10am till 3pmNew Year’s Day – closedThursday 2nd January – open 10am till 4pmFriday 3rd January – open 10am till 4pmSaturday 4th January – open 10am till 4pmSunday 5th January – closedMonday 6th January  – back to normal winter hours of 10am till 4pmNollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ùr Dhuibh!A Merry Christmas and a Good New Year to You!

We are very pleased to advise that this new acquisition for our world renowned Jacobite Collection has recently been purchased at auction.Hidden portrait snuff boxes are among the most iconic Jacobite works of art.  A Jacobite host could give his friends a pinch of snuff, and depending on the company, could reveal the hidden portrait.Decorated with enamel, the hinged cover opens to a plain interior.The hidden double lid opens to reveal an enamelled portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.  The portrait is a variant of the famous Sir Robert Strange example and dates this piece to circa 1750.We were able to acquire this with the support of the National Fund for Acquisitions, the Art Fund and a private donor.

While our Jacobite Collection is already internationally-recognised, we are now delighted to have items from the prestigious Drambuie Collection on long term loan to us, with the kind permission of William Grant & Sons.The additional items include a selection of rare and fascinating glassware that illustrate some of the secret symbols that Jacobites used to reveal themselves to their friends and to hide their allegiance to the Stuarts from their enemies.One of the highlights of this beautiful collection is an extremely rare enamelled portrait glass of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.  The only other one known to exist is at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.There is also a selection of unique relics on display including an enamel snuff box with a hidden portrait of Prince Charles and piece of the mast of the boat in which the Prince crossed from Skye to Loch Nevis in July 1746.So if you haven’t visited us for some time please do so and also see the many other changes that have taken place over the past few years.

Over the busy Summer months of July and August, the Museum will be open from 11am till 3pm each Sunday. We’re not only one of the best independent Museums in the country but we have an excellent bookshop and gift-shop too, which you’ll find of interest!

With effect from 1st April 2018, the organisation running the Museum will be the West Highland Museum Trust.  As was intimated at the 2017 AGM, the Museum Trustees unanimously decided to seek consent from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to wind up the trust deed governed body, the West Highland Museum and transfer assets to the new WHMT, a charitable company limited by guarantee.  The new WHMT is company number SC581556 and Scottish Charity number SC047954.  OSCR has now given consent and the transfer is in progress.    This is a significant move by the Museum and follows the route taken by many long-established charities that desire to modernise their governance.Responsibility for oversight of the operation of the Museum will now sit with the board of directors, rather than be shared with a Management Committee.  While the Trustees must remain in place until the entire assets are transferred, the Management Committee has ceased to function.  The Chairman of Trustees attended the last meeting of the Management Committee on 28th March and expressed thanks on behalf of Trustees for their sterling work over many years.