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The second 1715 Anniversary weekend event offers an opportunity for visitors and members to consult Colin Fraser and other specialists from Lyon & Turnbull who will be conducting valuations of art and antiques, including silver, jewellery, paintings, coins, medals, arms & armour.11am-2pm on Saturday 21st February at The West Highland Museum, Cameron Square, Fort William, PH33 6AJ.It will cost only £5 for valuing two artworks,with  subsequent valuations for £3 each (all proceeds go to The West Highland Museum).If your artwork is too large or fragile to bring along, then please email a photo to colin.fraser@lyonandturnbull.com

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the 1715 Jacobite Uprising.To commemorate this event and to announce their May auction of Jacobite, Stuart and Scottish Applied Arts, Lyon & Turnbull has joined with the Highland historian Professor Hugh Cheape to arrange a weekend of events to benefit the West Highland Museum.The first of these is a lecture entitled, “This is the time the prophesy has been proven” by Professor Hugh Cheape, Research Chair at the University of the Highlands & Islands.7pm on Friday 20th February at the Alexandra Hotel, The Parade, Fort William PH33 6AZ.Tickets on the door £3.50 members or £5 non-members (all proceeds go to the Museum).To pre-book or for more information please contact Colleen Foggo on 01397 702169 or email colleen@westhighlandmuseum.org.uk

We will be closed for the Winter until Monday 2nd March.  Although closed to the public, staff and volunteers alike will be working hard to clean and develop the Museum for 2015.Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you during 2015.

We hope you will visit our Museum when you are in Fort William but, if time is short, you really must visit the best specialised bookshop in town!

At the AGM on 29th May, Mrs Vanessa Martin, Newsletter Editor, was appointed to the Management Committee, to replace Mr James Holden who recently left the area.

At the AGM on 29th May, members learned of the resignation of Ms Lilian Macdonald, though were very pleased that she will remain as a volunteer.  Mrs Jackie Wright, who had previously served on the Management Committee, has been made a Trustee.

After much hard work by our army of volunteers since the turn of the year, we have now reopened and look forward to welcoming you!

Please consider visiting our bookshop and gift shop for the best collection of specialised books in Town. If you are not certain which to buy we also have our own book vouchers.

Current news is that ‘TripAdvisor’ has recognised the West Highland Museum with a 2013 Certificate of Excellence.This prestigious award places us in the top-performing 10% of all businesses worldwide on TripAdvisor, because we have consistently earned high ratings from TripAdvisor travellers.We thank all our visitors for their endorsement!

We have been working with the considerable support and expertise from colleagues in the University of Edinburgh and the National Museum of Scotland, who gained grants from The Leverhulme Trust and the Centre for Research Collections, to make the Carmichael Watson Collection available on line.  Initially loaned and then gifted to the Museum by the Late Michael Carmichael, the recent research has revealed the importance of this Collection, the majority of which we are privileged to hold.The website was launched on 26thApril at the West Highland Museum  and can be seen at http://www.carmichaelwatson.lib.ed.ac.uk/cwatson/