Ross & Cromarty Heritage Society

21/06/2026

This week in our Dingwall 800 series, we look at one of the town’s most important institutions and its long history of serving communities across Ross-shire and beyond (Post 11).

🏥 Ross Memorial Hospital

Ross Memorial Hospital owes its origins to Dr William Ross, a respected local doctor who died in 1869. The following year, Sir Kenneth Mackenzie of Gairloch established a committee to raise funds for a hospital in his memory, helping realise an ambition Dr Ross had long held. Within two years, enough money had been raised for plans to move forward, and the hospital opened in 1873.

Dr Ross’s successor, Dr William Bruce, arrived in Dingwall in 1870. Having helped establish Scotland’s first cottage hospital in Aberdeenshire, he brought valuable experience to the development of the new hospital.

Keeping the hospital running was a community effort. Before national healthcare systems, there was no central funding, and the hospital relied on donations, subscriptions, church collections, fundraising events, and the support of local families. In 1937 alone, it received 60 church collections, 56 annual subscriptions, and 63 individual donations from across Ross and Cromarty.

Alongside this wider community effort, support also came from a number of prominent local families, including the Seaforth family, Lady Mackenzie of Gairloch, and the Stirling family of Fairburn.

One of the hospital’s most significant developments came in 1929 when a donation funded its first maternity bed. Demand continued to grow, and in 1944 local farmer and benefactor William Peterkin donated £3,000 towards a new maternity unit. Opened in 1946, the Peterkin Maternity Home helped serve the post-war baby boom, and many people across Ross-shire still think of themselves as “Peterkin babies”.

The hospital continued to evolve. The present hospital building opened in 1966, while the former maternity home later became the Highland Rheumatology Unit in 1993.

Today, Ross Memorial Hospital provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and specialist services, continuing a healthcare tradition that stretches back more than 150 years.

Do you have any memories of Ross Memorial Hospital? Perhaps a family story, photograph, or recollection of staff who worked there? Share them in the comments.

Read more about the history of Ross Memorial Hospital here:
https://www.historyofhighlandhospitals.com/index.asp?pageid=733114

Read more about Dingwall’s history here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/



Photo Credits:
- "Ross Memorial Hospital (Dingwall)", NHS Highland, https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/your-services/in-person-services-and-locations/hospitals/ross-memorial-hospital-dingwall/.
- "Plan, elevations and sections of Ross Memorial Hospital", reproduced from H. C. Burdett, Cottage Hospitals: General, Fever, and Convalescent: Their Progress, Management and Work..., London, 1880 p. 274, on Historic Hospitals, https://historic-hospitals.com/2019/09/29/two-highland-hospitals/.
- Ross Memorial Hospital stone, by Martin Briscoe, on Trove.Scot, https://www.trove.scot/place/106050?tab=public-contributions.

07/06/2026

This week marks 164 years since Dingwall Railway Station opened on 11 June 1862. In this week's Dingwall 800 series, we look at the arrival of the railway and a remarkable wartime story connected to the town (post 10).

🚂 Dingwall Railway Station and the Jellicoe Express
When Dingwall Railway Station opened on 11 June 1862 as part of the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway, it connected the town to a growing railway network across Scotland.

As the network expanded, Dingwall became an important railway junction, with routes heading north towards Caithness and west towards Kyle of Lochalsh. The railway made it easier for people, goods, and livestock to move around the Highlands, strengthening connections between communities and opening new opportunities for travel and trade.

During the First World War, the station became part of an extraordinary wartime route. The troop train known as the "Jellicoe Express", named after Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, carried personnel between London and Thurso on journeys connected to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow, passing through Dingwall along the way.

The station's role during the war was supported by local Red Cross volunteers. Between 1915 and 1919, they served an astonishing 134,864 cups of tea to troops travelling through Dingwall Station, offering refreshment and comfort to thousands of servicemen on their journeys.

More than a century and a half after it opened, Dingwall Railway Station remains a familiar landmark and an important transport link for the town and the wider Highlands.

Do you have any memories of Dingwall Railway Station? Perhaps an old photograph, a memorable journey, or a family story connected to the railway? Share them in the comments.

Read more about Dingwall's history here: https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-transport/dingwall-station/



Photo Credits:
- "Two trains at the north end of Dingwall Station (1920s)", Am Baile, https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/27086/.
- "Dingwall Station (1970s)", Am Baile, https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/27101/.
- "7 Dingwall Transport Plaque at Dingwall Station", unknown, Ross & Cromarty Heritage Society, https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-transport/dingwall-station/.
- "12 Dingwall Transport Plaque at Dingwall Station", unknown, Ross & Cromarty Heritage Society, https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-transport/dingwall-station/.

06/06/2026

🎉 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟗𝟔𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐧! 🎉

Today marks 960 years since the date traditionally associated with the establishment of the sanctuary, or girth, of St Duthac at Tain.

For centuries, people have lived, worked, worshipped, traded, and raised families here, creating the town we know today. Through changing times, Tain has remained at the heart of Easter Ross, with a rich heritage that continues to be celebrated and preserved.

24/05/2026

With the football season drawing to a close, this week in our Dingwall 800 series we look at sport and recreation in the town over time (Post 9).

⚽ Sport and Recreation in Dingwall

Sport has been part of life in Dingwall across many generations, taking place through a range of clubs, schools, and community facilities.

Today, Dingwall is the home of Ross County F.C., founded in 1929, with matches played at Victoria Park in the town. The club will compete in Scottish League One next season.

Alongside senior football, sport in Dingwall includes youth development through the Highland Football Academy, as well as school sport and wider community activities. Facilities such as the Dingwall Academy Community Complex and Dingwall Leisure Centre provide indoor and outdoor spaces used for a range of sporting and recreational purposes, including swimming, gym use, and indoor sports.

Recreational sport in Dingwall has deeper roots. Dingwall Bowling Club was established in 1906, reflecting the early development of organised leisure activities in the town. A golf club was also established in Dingwall in 1894, later operating in different forms before closing in the 1930s.

Across different periods, schools and local facilities have continued to support a variety of sporting and recreational activities in the town.

What sporting memories of Dingwall do you remember? Share your stories or photos in the comments.

Read more about Dingwall’s history here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-social/dingwall-recreational/



Photo Credits:
- "RCFC Carousel Image", Ross County FC, https://www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/u/general/RCFCCarouselImage1.jpg
- "Dingwall Bowling Club", Lawn Bowls, https://www.lawnbowls.com/clubs/dingwall-bowling-club
- "From the Aberdeen Press and Journal Friday 7 May 1937", D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. on Golf Missing Links, https://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/images/club_graphics/scotland/thumbs/dingwall_3.jpg
- "Highland Football Academy, Dingwall", Aberdeen FC Heritage Trust, https://afcheritage.org/cookieless/images/pages/large/HFA-Dingwall-Outdoor-3g-pitch-1426x662.jpg?1779385927

10/05/2026

With the election now concluded, this week's Dingwall 800 post looks at the town’s long history of parliamentary representation and civic life (Post 8 ).

🏛️ Representing Dingwall 📜🗳️
As a royal burgh, Dingwall was represented by one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland before the Union of 1707.

Following the Union, the town became part of the Tain (Northern) Burghs district, later Tain Burghs, later Wick Burghs, which returned representatives to the Parliament of Great Britain and later the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The burghs in the district would take it in turn to host the election. Dingwall hosted it in 1710, 1734, 1768, 1796, and 1818. Nowadays, it is part of the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross UK Parliament Constituency.

Over time, Dingwall also became part of changing county, parliamentary, and local government structures, including Ross and Cromarty and later Highland Council.

With the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Dingwall once again became part of Scotland’s modern parliamentary story through representation in Holyrood, first as part of the Ross, Skye and Inverness West constituency (1999-2011) and later the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency.

Although systems and boundaries have changed over the centuries, Dingwall’s connection to public life and representation has remained an important part of the town’s history.

Read more about Dingwall’s history here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/



Photo Credits:
- "The Municipal Buildings, Dingwall", https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/32318/.

28/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HXqcMe7R5/

26/04/2026

This week in our Dingwall 800 series we look at how the town grew and changed in the Victorian era (Post 7).

🏘️ Victorian Dingwall: A Growing Town
The Victorian period was a time of significant growth for Dingwall. New buildings began to shape the town, including the Sheriff Court, built in 1842, the Free Church completed in 1870, and Jubilee Park, created in 1887.

This period also saw important developments, including the arrival of the railway in 1862 and the opening of the Ross Memorial Hospital in 1873. We’ll return to both of these in more detail in future posts.

Together, these changes helped shape much of the Dingwall we recognise today, with many Victorian-era buildings still forming part of the town’s streets and character today.

Have you noticed any Victorian buildings or features around Dingwall? Share a photo or tell us your favourites in the comments!

Read more about Dingwall’s history here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/



Photo Credit:
- "Dingwall Sherrif [sic] Court", by Dave Fergusson. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2996545.
- "Dingwall Free Church, High Street, Dingwall", by Tim Heaton. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5802279.
- "Aerial view of Dingwall east end closer view, Easter Ross, looking S.", by James S Bone. https://www.trove.scot/image/2106125. Dingwall Canal runs across the foreground. In the centre is Victoria Park Stadium (Ross County Football Club). Above is the Sheriff Court building, prison and police station, listed category B. Beside right is the Ross Memorial Hospital founded in 1873. To the right again is the Army cadet Drill hall, built before 1914, now a Territorial Army Centre. Title and Scope & Content contributed by North of Scotland Archaeological Society (2021).

12/04/2026

Our Dingwall 800 journey continues! (Post 6)
This week, we look at education and learning in the town.

🏫 Education in Dingwall
Education has long been an important part of Dingwall’s community life. Records show a schoolmaster in the town as early as the 1660s, and by the early 18th century pupils were being taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and Latin, alongside religious instruction. There is also evidence of education for girls in the 18th century, including needlework, sewing, and music, alongside other forms of learning in the town. There has been a purpose-built school in Dingwall since 1781.

The Academy (then on Tulloch Street) came into being after the Education (Scotland) Act of 1872, which led to the merger of the Church of Scotland school and the Free Church school under the authority of the School Board of Dingwall.

Today, Dingwall is served by Dingwall Primary School, St Clement’s School, and Dingwall Academy.

Do you have memories of school in Dingwall, or stories from earlier generations? Share them in the comments!

Read more about Dingwall’s history here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/



Photo Credit:
"The Old Dingwall Academy", by unknown. https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-social/

31/03/2026

⚠️ Protecting Our Highland Heritage ⚠️

We want to highlight an important campaign concerning the proposed sale of a significant piece of Highland heritage: the 1728 marble bust of Sir John Gordon, M.P., Secretary of Scotland to the Prince of Wales and son of the founder of Invergordon.

Jane MacKinnon has created a petition, with the help of Invergordon Museum, calling for action to prevent the loss of an important 18th-century artefact with deep local and national significance.

There are concerns that, if sold, it could leave Scotland permanently.

Heritage like this connects us to our shared past and should be cared for and protected for future generations.

👉 Read more and sign the petition here:

Stop this Scandalous Amputation of our Scottish Heritage

29/03/2026

Our Dingwall 800 journey continues! (Post 5)
This week, we explore the town’s long tradition of justice and civic life.

🏛️ Dingwall Sheriff Court & Civic Life
Dingwall has long been a centre of justice and administration. This role is reflected in its name, which is thought to derive from the Norse Þingvöllr, meaning a place of assembly and judgement. A sheriff court had been held in Dingwall for centuries, serving the town and wider region until 2015, when business transferred to Inverness.

The Sheriff Court building, dating from the 1830s and designed by architect Thomas Brown, stood at the heart of this tradition for nearly two centuries. A prison and police station were later added in the 1840s, forming a complex that served the town and county. The building remains a visible reminder of Dingwall’s long-standing role in law, governance, and public life.

Read more about Dingwall’s public buildings here:
https://www.rossandcromartyheritage.org/home/mid-ross-communities/dingwall/dingwall-places/dingwall-public-buildings/dingwall-sheriff-court/



Photo Credit: Dingwall Sheriff Court, courtesy of Ross & Cromarty Heritage.