1960s photo boosts plans for Old Fort visitor centre
A 54-year-old photograph of Fort William could prove decisive in a campaign to turn the town’s old fort into a ‘world-class’ visitor attraction.
Friends of the Old Fort (FOOF) chairman Norrie MacLean has been campaigning for more than a decade to excavate and redevelop the ancient fort. Mr MacLean said he was close to giving up after his most recent plans were thwarted by claims from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) that the soil on site is historic.
Now, however, a photograph believed to be from 1964 which shows piles of building material dumped within the walls of the old fort could be enough evidence to prove that the soil at the site is not historic and can be removed to make way for the development of a visitor centre.
Following the discovery of the photograph, a meeting was arranged between FOOF members, Lochaber MSP Kate Forbes and Historic Environment Scotland’s director of heritage Barbara Cummins last Friday to discuss the possible excavation of the site.
‘It was actually a very positive meeting,’ Mr MacLean told the Lochaber Times. ‘We have some agreement and Mrs Cummins is going back to HES and will look at how they can assist us. I can never understand why the fort has been left for so long and she agreed that it definitely needs upgraded.’
Mr MacLean said that the earth around the fort, originally built in 1654 to pacify the local clans, would need to be levelled for safety reasons and to expose some of the ancient walls before a new visitor centre could be built on the site.
‘Ideally we want to put a visitor centre in some version of the original fort, detailing life at that time around the Great Glen. There’s so much history down there, we could make it a world-class tourist area. We just need to get a visitor centre fit for the modern world.’
Mrs Cummins later told the Lochaber Times she looks forward to working with FOOF to find a solution that provides what they are looking for to make the site safer to visit while maintaining its significance as a scheduled monument.
She said: ‘I was impressed with the level of commitment from the Friends for the Old Fort at our meeting last week, as they gave me some really interesting material around their plans.’
Mrs Cummins will be meeting with FOOF again late in the autumn to discuss this further.
Ms Forbes also commended the group on their progress and hopes that Friday’s meeting will be the ‘catalyst’ needed to take forward the vision that FOOF have for the area.
‘For years, Friends of the Old Fort and people such as Norrie MacLean have voluntarily tidied up the Old Fort and campaigned to have it restored so that visitors take an interest,’ she said.
‘I’ve been impressed with the tireless dedication of these volunteers, but sorry that it has taken so long to take forward plans for the Old Fort.’