Back to the past with a launch of new series by Lochaber Archive Centre
This week sees the launch of a regular series of articles written by the Lochaber Archive Centre in Fort William, explaining what it does, informing readers of upcoming events, and delving into its fascinating collections.
The Lochaber Archive Centre is based at Alexander Ross House, on Achintore Road, in what was formerly Fort William Primary School.
Alongside offices in Wick and Portree, we are a spoke of the Highland Archive Service, the central hub being the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness.
Like other archive facilities, we hold items deemed worthy of permanent preservation, regardless of age or format. We look after parchment, paper, photographs, and even DVDs.
Although we are part of the wider Highland Archive Service, our collections specifically relate to the Lochaber region.
Lochaber is a place of enduring historical importance, from the ‘45 Rebellion, to Commando training during the Second World War, and we receive inquiries from all over the globe.
Some of you may be interested in family history, or the history of the area you live in. Sometimes, folk will visit the Lochaber Archive Centre just to browse, and they are equally welcome.
Our archives are kept securely in an environmentally-controlled storage space called a strongroom. We want these cherished items to be accessed by future generations, so must ensure they do not become spoiled or damaged.
Public access to our archives is possible through our search room, situated just inside the main entrance of Alexander Ross House.
Amongst our collections are records of the Highland Council and its predecessors.
These fascinating local government collections include school admission registers and logbooks, valuation rolls detailing property and tenants, and poor relief records for numerous Lochaber parishes.
As well as local government records, we are privileged to be the chosen archive for many deposited collections.
These include collections from families like Cameron-Head of Inverailort and Cameron of
Lochiel – names significant to numerous periods of Scottish and British history.
Family collections also include letters, diaries and photographs, with many items dating from centuries ago, as well as records from local organisations and businesses.
These document the lives of Highlanders across the years and across the social spectrum.
The Lochaber Archive Centre is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Visitors are welcome to drop in and chat but we encourage you to make an appointment which is bookable in advance.
We are also contactable by phone or email, so please get in touch with any inquiries you might have.
We post regularly on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages with news and updates, and interesting finds from our collections.
You can join us each Thursday morning at 11am on Facebook for ‘Learn with Lorna’, which is a weekly look at the archives held across the Highland Archive Service.
Classes on family history and archives for beginners also run throughout the year, so look out for these in 2022. We hope you will enjoy these articles.
Email: lochaber.archives@ highlifehighland.com
Web: www.highlifehighland. com/lochaber-archive-centre/
Facebook: www.facebook. com/LochaberArchiveCentre/
Twitter: twitter.com/ hlharchives.