Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre

Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre The Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre opened in the Elgin Hostel, Portree, in December 2009. Staff are available to do paid research on your behalf if required.

The Archive Centre is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
10:00-13:00 14:00-16:30

Local and family history resources – there is no charge for you to carry out your own research in the Archive Centre. High resolution copies of our images are available to purchase. Please contact us at [email protected] to check availability and charges. High Life Highland is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland No. SC407011 and is a registered Scottish charity No. SC042593

The Station Hotel, Kyle of Lochalsh, as captured by pharmacist and photographer Duncan MacPherson in the 1920s.Rather th...
19/09/2026

The Station Hotel, Kyle of Lochalsh, as captured by pharmacist and photographer Duncan MacPherson in the 1920s.
Rather than being near the railway station, the Station Hotel was next to the jetty from where the ferry crossed to Skye, with the railway terminus a short walk away. The road to the hotel and jetty was owned by London Midland & Scottish Railway Company. Kyle Cottage, the original building on this picturesque site was owned by Sir Alexander Matheson. His son Sir Kenneth Matheson sold it to the Railway Company when the railway was extended from Stromeferry. The building has undergone many alterations and additions, including a name change in the 1950s to the Lochalsh Hotel.
Information from our colleagues at www.ambaile.org where you can browse many of the Duncan MacPherson images

A photograph from our extensive and much-loved Duncan MacPherson Collection. Duncan was the pharmacist in Kyle of Lochal...
18/09/2026

A photograph from our extensive and much-loved Duncan MacPherson Collection. Duncan was the pharmacist in Kyle of Lochalsh for many years and an enthusiastic photographer with a remarkable eye for capturing everyday life.
With his shop situated in the centre of Kyle, he was often in exactly the right place at the right time to record some incredible scenes from the community's past.
This photograph appears to show at least two, and possibly three, motorcycles with sidecars carefully balanced aboard the ferry, along with at least ten people aboard.
Looking at the crowded deck, it is hard not to admire the skill and confidence of the boatmen who operated these vessels. Their ability to transport people, vehicles and goods safely in all conditions was truly impressive.
c.1920s

The TSMV Lochnevis was launched in 1934 and was originally built to operate the Mallaig to Portree mail service. TSMV st...
17/09/2026

The TSMV Lochnevis was launched in 1934 and was originally built to operate the Mallaig to Portree mail service.
TSMV stands for Twin Screw Motor Vessel, indicating that the vessel was powered by a diesel engine and fitted with two propellers, or "screws". This arrangement provided improved manoeuvrability, greater reliability, and better speed compared with a single-screw vessel, making it particularly well suited to the demanding conditions and frequent harbour calls of the Highlands and Islands mail service a role for which she became well known.
In this photograph, Lochnevis is seen arriving at Raasay Pier

17/09/2026

Learn with Lorna 263 – The diaries of Lady Vere Cameron

Part of a series of events to share the collections of the Highland Archive Service.
This livecast is being brought to you by High Life Highland at no cost to the viewer.
High Life Highland is a charity registered in Scotland.

This event does not require any payment or subscription but we welcome donations.
To donate please visit https://shop.highlifehighland.com/products/archives-choose-your-donation

All previous episodes can be seen at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxasYGi8kIcL7OThf1QGsHAMACY_1DGE&si=1u6WUF-hBjP7iV1H

📚 New Archives Alert! 📚We’re delighted to share that the MacDiarmid School Records have now been deposited at the Archiv...
16/09/2026

📚 New Archives Alert! 📚

We’re delighted to share that the MacDiarmid School Records have now been deposited at the Archive Centre and are available for research.

These fascinating records contain a wealth of information about the school and local community, including:

• Admission Register (1917–1951)
• School Log Books (1916–1989)

Please note that access is subject to archive closure periods:
🔒 Admission Registers: closed for 100 years
🔒 School Log Books: closed for 50 years

If you’d like to find out more about these records or arrange a visit, please get in touch.

This lorry is carrying a load that it was almost certainly not intended to carry. The 20 or so people squashed into the ...
15/09/2026

This lorry is carrying a load that it was almost certainly not intended to carry. The 20 or so people squashed into the back probably don't exceed the 1¼ ton weight capacity, but from a safety point, it looks quite precarious. This lorry was likely contracted for the construction of the Dornie Bridge in the late 1930s, and the full load could be local workmen going to the site. This R-type Morris Commercial lorry was manufactured between 1928-1933.

Dornie Water SchemeDuncan MacPherson CollectionThis group of people have gathered to mark the opening of the new water s...
14/09/2026

Dornie Water Scheme
Duncan MacPherson Collection
This group of people have gathered to mark the opening of the new water scheme at Dornie in May 1930. The Dornie Special Water Supply District had been formed years previously, and in 1929 proposed a new water supply which would cost no more than £250, and was inexhaustible and pure in quality. The whole of the costs of the water supply were to be covered by the people of the village of Dornie with no loans being required to get the scheme up and running. This photo shows a lady turning the first sod to mark the occasion with Mr John D MacRae, a County Councillor looking on

📢 We're hiring!Do you have a passion for Gaelic history, language and culture?We're recruiting a Gaelic Archives Project...
14/09/2026

📢 We're hiring!

Do you have a passion for Gaelic history, language and culture?

We're recruiting a Gaelic Archives Project Officer to help unlock and share fascinating Gaelic archive collections, working between Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and the Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre.

This is a unique opportunity to uncover hidden stories, preserve our heritage, and make Gaelic archives more accessible for future generations.

Find out more and apply: https://tinyurl.com/hlhscot

Delivering supplies, Rona by K MacKenzieThis pier is situated at the northern end of the island of Rona, in Loch a Bhrài...
13/09/2026

Delivering supplies, Rona by K MacKenzie

This pier is situated at the northern end of the island of Rona, in Loch a Bhràige, to provide access to the lighthouse on the hill above. Rona lighthouse, which became operational in November 1857, was constructed by David Stevenson to alert mariners to the Sounds on either side of the islands of Rona and Raasay, between Skye and the mainland. However the lighthouse was not the first navigational aid on Rona. For many years Janet Mackenzie kept an oil light burning in a window of her cottage close to the beach near Dry Harbour on the west side of the island. She is said to have lost her husband and sons in a tragic accident when their boat hit rocks at the entrance to the harbour, and her dedication to saving others in similar circumstances in the Sound of Raasay was finally recognised by Captain Otter of H.M.S. Comet who wrote to the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board in 1851 praising her actions. The Board awarded her a gift of £20. The small trawler in the photograph, named the Janet Mackenzie, carried supplies to the lighthouse from Portree for many years. HC_PLANNING_03_049_0198

SL/D222/140Undated plan of Inverarish showing layout of houses, gardens, drains and water pipes. Scale of 1 inch to 40 ...
12/09/2026

SL/D222/140
Undated plan of Inverarish showing layout of houses, gardens, drains and water pipes.
Scale of 1 inch to 40 feet, 1 plan. Canvas
In 1911, the estate of Raasay was sold to William Baird and Company, Ironmasters of Coatbridge, who developed a mining concern to extract deposits of iron ore found in Raasay. In 1913, work started on new housing for mine workers, situated at Inverarish. During the First World War, German prisoners-of-war were drafted in to keep the mines in operation, managed by Bairds on behalf of the Ministry of Munitions. The company sold off most of the estate in 1923, retaining mineral rights and the areas around the mines. That year, most of the estate was purchased by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, later the Department of Agriculture for Scotland, currently the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. The mining plant had been put into care and maintenance after the First World War but was substantially dismantled in 1943. Baird and Company then sold off the workers’ houses at Inverarish Terrace

Address

Elgin Hostel, Dunvegan Road
Portree
IV519EE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 1pm
2pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441478614078

Website

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