Featuring many images which have never before been published, this book explores the lost architectural heritage of the capital of the Highlands. The list of vanished buildings and streets is a long one. The medieval town was gutted by our mid-Victorian ancestors in a frenzy of redevelopment, but in the process many fine public buildings were created.

Sadly, the post-war ‘improvements’ in the town centre, especially in the 1960s, have left an unfortunate legacy of architectural blight. However many fascinating old photographs and drawings survive, allowing us to celebrate much of what has been lost. This book draws on the resources of Highland archives, libraries and museums to create a memorable record of a missing urban landscape, from the speculative sites of Pictish forts and Macbeth’s castle, to Queen Mary’s House and the old suspension bridge below Inverness Castle, itself blown up by the Jacobites in 1746 and replaced by the 1830s prison and courthouse.

Noman S. Newton was born in Glasgow, and began his career as a librarian in Glasgow University Library. He then worked in public libraries in Campbeltown and Inverness, becoming Reference Librarian at Inverness Library from 1992 to 1998. He was then in charge of Reference and Information Services for the whole Highland Libraries network until his retirement in 2009. He is the author of several books on Scottish islands and on the local history of Inverness, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.