Dingwall Museum

About the museum

Dingwall Museum is housed in the Town House on the High Street, the building that was the headquarters of Dingwall Burgh Council from the 1730s until the council voted itself out of existence in 1975. During the 18th century the council began to collect historical items, recording them in its minutes and displaying them in the Council Chamber and clock tower, including portraits, local archaeological and natural history finds and objects relating to military heroes.

When Scottish town councils were dissolved in 1975, the collections were handed to a group of local people, who founded Dingwall Museum and the Dingwall Museum Trust. The museum first used three connected rooms upstairs; by the 1980s it had taken over five rooms on the ground floor as well as the Council Chamber, and it refurbished the adjoining Eagle Court as a garden and seating area. It became a charity in 1991 and a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation in February 2024.

Today the displays include a showcase of the local regiment, the 4th Seaforth Highlanders, a replica of Gordon's Smiddy, which operated in the town centre for three generations, and the Council Chamber set up as it was before 1975. The Pictish Conan Stone, found near Conon Bridge in 2019, is on display, and the museum holds burgh council records from 1707 and genealogical research material. The museum is run entirely by volunteers.

Highlights

• Pictish Conan Stone
• Council Chamber as it was before 1975
• Replica of Gordon's Smiddy
• Showcase of the 4th Seaforth Highlanders
• Burgh records and genealogical research material
• Free entry

Permanent exhibitions

• Council Chamber – The Burgh Council Chamber set up as it was used before the council was dissolved in 1975, including a reconstructed council meeting with robes.
• Gordon's Smiddy and the 4th Seaforth Highlanders – A replica of the smiddy that ran for three generations in the town centre and a showcase of the local regiment, the 4th Seaforth Highlanders.
• Conan Stone – A Pictish cross slab found near Conon Bridge in 2019 and now on permanent display in the museum.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Dingwall Museum (Scottish charity SC053119)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free, although donations are gratefully received.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access to the museum is up one step of about 15 cm from the High Street. There is no accessible route to the upstairs Council Chamber. The museum says more accessibility information is coming.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the High Street in the town centre, in the Town House. An electric vehicle charging point is nearby.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.