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A modern building with light stone walls and large windows, labeled “Highland Archive and Registration Centre,” stands on a neatly maintained grassy lawn. Two small trees are in front of the building, and the sky above is bright and clear.
Home > Archives > Highland Archive Centre

Highland Archive Centre

Bught Road
Inverness
IV3 5SS
01349 781130
archives@highlifehighland.com
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Welcome to Highland Archive Centre

Located in Inverness, the Highland Archive Centre collects, preserves, and provides access to historical records relating to the Highlands. Our purpose-built facility includes a public searchroom, a dedicated Family History Room, and a specialist Conservation Studio. The centre is also home to the Council’s Records Management Service.  

Our archive collections span from the 14th century to the present day and covers the historic counties of Inverness, Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland.  To get a feel for what collections we hold in advance of your visit you can explore the archives held at the centre or browse our online catalogue.

Visiting us 

Highland Archive Centre is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:00–16:30. We are closed on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.  

You’re welcome to drop in anytime, but if you’d like to make the most of your visit, you can pre-book a time and request specific documents in advance.

For details on how to book and what to expect on arrival, please see our visitor information page.

More information

Visitor information

Visitor information

All the information you need to plan your visit to Highland Archive Centre

Archives held at the centre

Explore council archives, school records, estate papers, church registers, maps, and local history at the Highland Archive Centre.

A screenshot of a website homepage for ‘CalmView’, a archival online collections database. The background features a collage of Highland Archie Service's archive centre buildings. In the centre of the foreground, a search box titled ‘Find a record’ indicates that this is a link to an searchable online archive catalogue.

Online catalogue

Search over 130,000 descriptions of archives held in our four Archive Centres in Inverness, Portree, Fort William and Wick.

A man with dark hair sits at a desk with three laptops, a desktop monitor displaying the Scotland's People website, a printer, and various office supplies. Shelves with files and papers are in the background, and a large chart with handwritten notes is pinned to the wall.

Can’t visit? We can help

Expert archival and family history research carried out for you by the Highland Archive Service

A close-up, slightly angled photograph of a printed family tree chart. The image shows connected boxes containing names, birth dates, and death dates. Visible entries include “John Trotter Ramage,” with dates “b. 8 Sep 1844 Wesruther” and “d. 23 Nov 1928 Denholm, shepherd,” and “Elizabeth Elliot,” with dates “b. 23 Nov 1852 Southdean” and “d. 5 Dec 1932 Crailing.” Lines link these individuals to others whose names and details appear partially out of focus. The overall document is printed in black text on white paper.

Family history

Highland Archive Service is here to help you research your family history

Two people sit at a desk across from an archivist who is working on a computer with dual monitors. The desk is covered with papers, folders, and printed documents, including a booklet with a crest on the cover. Behind the desk are bookshelves filled with books, and a large wall chart is partially visible.

One-to-one consultations and family trees

Get expert guidance on family history research, a personal consultation, or a fully researched family tree

Logo for Scotland’s People featuring a blue stylized knot design

Scotland's People network

Book exclusive access to Scotland’s People Network at the Highland Archive Centre in Inverness. Explore census records, parish registers, and vital records. Spaces available Tuesday–Thursday. Daily fee applies, check our website for details.

Portrait photograph of three herring gutters c.1890 , taken by Johnston Photographers Wick. This photograph illustrates how the gutters would wrap their fingers in strips cut from flour sacks to protect them from cuts .

Online exhibitions

Explore Highland Archive Service's online exhibitions

A black-and-white photograph of a rural landscape featuring traditional stone cottages with thatched roofs, surrounded by low stone walls and dense vegetation. A dirt path leads toward the foreground cottage, which has a sloping roof and chimney. In the middle ground, additional cottages are visible among trees and open fields. The background shows a large, gently sloping mountain under a clear sky. The overall scene conveys a historic crofting settlement in a countryside setting.

Am Baile

Explore the Scottish Highlands and Islands through photographs, illustrations, maps, documents, audio and video

A light bright room with people looking at white tables covered with displays of historic documents.

Learning and outreach

Learning and outreach activities and opportunities from the Highland Archive Service

Available for hire
A group of four people seated around a large wooden conference table in a meeting room, watching a presentation displayed on a wall-mounted screen. The screen shows a map with labeled blue boxes and text. One person is standing near the screen, holding a laptop and presenting. The room has large windows in the background. The chairs around the table are upholstered in a dark red color, and the lighting is bright with ceiling fixtures.

The Learning Centre

Venue to hire for business meetings, seminars, presentations, and talks

More info Hire this space

Our Blog

Stories from the archives - Highland Archive Centre

Blogs from Highland Archive Centre

Read our blog
A sepia-toned historical photograph showing a horse pulling a cart loaded with large logs across a wooden trestle bridge. The bridge is constructed from timber beams and spans a rough, forested area with scattered logs on the ground below. A person is seated on top of the log pile on the cart, guiding the horse. In the background, there are trees and distant hills, suggesting a rural or mountainous setting. The image conveys an early 20th-century logging or timber transport scene.

Explore our
online shop

Visit our online shop to explore the products and services available from Highland Archive Service

Donate to Highland Archive Centre

The Archive Service preserves, conserves and makes accessible over 700 years of Highland history. There is no charge to visit our Archive Centres and access the collections we hold, but High Life Highland is a charity and we rely on your donations.

Opening times

  • mon
    10:00 - 16:30
  • tue
    10:00 - 16:30
  • wed
    Closed
  • thu
    10:00 - 16:30
  • fri
    10:00 - 16:30
  • sat
    Closed
  • sun
    Closed
Bught Road, Inverness, IV3 5SS

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