American Friends of Highland Culture

07/31/2026

Not far from the Perthshire town of Grandtully (pronounced "Grantley"), in what is referred to as Highland Perthshire, is a singular example of a painted wooden barrel ceiling in an astonishingly excellent state of preservation. Though visitors can see sort of an example of this at the National Museum of Scotland (riffing off van Eyck's Last Judgement) from 1475 and another from the now-demolished Dean House in Edinburgh about 1600, seeing it in its original location is well worth the detour, if not the trip.

05/26/2026

So happy for the West Highland Museum!

🧡We're absolutely delighted to announce that we have received support from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform the Museum for the future. When complete, the redevelopment will improve access, expand gallery and learning spaces, strengthen collections care, and create new opportunities for local people, schools, volunteers and visitors to engage with the heritage of Lochaber and the West Highlands

🧡Thanks to the support of National Lottery players we have been awarded £263,163 to help the museum develop its plans.

🧡A total grant of £2.7 million will be available to help deliver the project providing the Museum successful negotiates our Development Phase.

To find out more on our website:
https://www.westhighlandmuseum.org.uk/2026/05/26/west-highland-museum-wins-lottery-backing/

01/25/2026

01/08/2026

An outstanding read. Behind a no-pay wall, it seems.

https://www.discoverbritain.com/history/icons/duke-of-cumberland-the-butcher-of-culloden/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPMq0pleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEzbVhVaDVzZU40ZkhGRjdpc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiZJWfgsKkKjOsrGGg6h3dCMUla1hk9Qm2szZQ7eHzWfaQO2nXKcS7JpGuiD_aem_yYnf6ufurrU3ihOc7BCBFg

Our historian delves into one of Scottish history’s most villainous characters, the notorious Duke of Cumberland

12/26/2025

50 years ago, Ballachulish Bridge opened.

But did you know that the bridge was never truly completed? A bolt on the south side of the bridge was never put in place - for a very specific reason.

Corrag was a local witch who is said to have lived in the mountains of Glencoe in the 17-18th century. Some stories paint her as a powerful being of "outstanding badness" who could summon storms and sink ships; others suggest that she was more of a wisewoman who delivered prophecies, for example foreseeing the Massacre of Glencoe and attempting (unsuccessfully) to warn the clansmen.

One of Corrag's prophecies was that if the narrows of Loch Leven were ever bridged, a flood would wipe out the entirety of the glen. When the Ballachulish Bridge was being constructed in the 1970s, this warning came to the attention of the engineers, who found a loophole to avoid testing it: they never technically completed the bridge. If you look carefully at the concrete support on the south side of the bridge, you will see that one of the 24 bolts is missing - never installed, just in case Corrag’s prophecy came true...

Discover Glencoe, Scotland

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas!

Our history writer examines the timeline that led to the bagpipes becoming synonymous with Scotland

12/01/2025

For those familiar with the local tongue.

Tha deugaire às na Stàitean Aonaichte an dòchas na mìltean notaichean a thogail do Thaigh-tasgaidh Taobh Siar na Gàidhealtachd sa Ghearasdan le bhith a' reic deilbh a rinn fear-ealain Albannach bho chionn còrr is 150 bliadhna.

11/28/2025

09/30/2025

Such important work collecting and preserving this history. Well worth a look by itself, though there is much, much more there.

This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of West Highland Museum collecting Jacobite objects!

🔴We were delighted to acquire three new items for the collection at the recent Scotland Collected sale from Lyon & Turnbull

🔴Read more about our new Flora MacDonald miniature, rare 18th century flintlock & 19th century Sir Walter Scott tartanware books on our website (link in comments)

❤️A big thank to Art Fund for supporting the purchase of the Flora MacDonald portrait and to National Museums Scotland 's National Fund for Acquisitions for supporting all three acquisitions. We are also grateful to the three private donors who helped with the acquisitions.