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 4pm

Tuesday 24th - open  10am till 3pm

Christmas Day, 25th - closed

Thursday 26th -  open 10am till 4pm

Friday 27th - open 10am till 4pm

Saturday 28th - open 10am till 4pm

Sunday 29th - closed

Monday 30th - open 10am till 4pm

Tuesday 31st - open 10am till 3pm

New Year's Day - closed

Thursday 2nd January - open 10am till 4pm

Friday 3rd January - open 10am till 4pm

Saturday 4th January - open 10am till 4pm

Sunday 5th January - closed

Monday 6th January  - back to normal winter hours of 10am till 4pm

Nollaig 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.