A free Fort William museum with an exceptional collection of Jacobite objects and hidden portraits.
A Jacobite collection in Lochaber
The museum tells the history of the West Highlands through local objects rather than a single historic building. Its Jacobite holdings place the 1745 campaign within the communities around Lochaber that supplied supporters, routes and memory to the cause.
The secret portrait
Its best-known object is an anamorphic portrait of Charles Edward Stuart. The image appears distorted until viewed in a polished cylinder, allowing a loyal owner to conceal or reveal the prince's likeness. It captures the culture of coded loyalty that survived after open rebellion failed.
Beyond one object
The collection also includes weapons, personal objects and later material showing how the Jacobites were remembered. A recently identified portrait believed to show the prince in 1745–46 adds another layer, but the museum carefully presents that identification as belief rather than certainty.
What to look for while you're here
- The anamorphic secret portrait and the cylindrical mirror that resolves it.
- Objects connected to Lochaber families and the rising's local networks.
- How later collecting shaped the image of Charles Edward Stuart.
Before you go
- Open Monday to Saturday, with limited seasonal Sunday opening.
- Last entry is currently 30 minutes before closing; groups require advance arrangements.