150 year old window gets pride of place in Inverness Castle project

The Rose Window finally comes out of storage with a new location found

The ‘rose window’ in its home in the now-demolished former church on Inglis Street.
Author: John RosePublished 12th Mar 2021

The transformation of Inverness Castle will see the historic ‘rose window’, saved from a former Methodist church in the city, incorporated into interior design for the building.

The ‘rose window’ has been held in storage since it was removed from its original site in a former church on Inglis Street at the time of the Eastgate Centre construction.

The window was originally created for the Methodist Church built in 1867. The cost of the gable end window – £1200 – is recorded in Highland Archive Service records as being ‘the gift of a friend’. Later church records confirm that the benefactor was Mr James Keith, a bookseller from Dingwall.

Provost of Inverness and Area, Cllr Helen Carmichael, said: “I am thrilled that the rose window will feature in the transformed Inverness Castle.

"This beautiful window is over 100 years old and has been in safekeeping until we could find an appropriate site for it within the city.

"With this prime site in the transformed Castle building, it will be seen by thousands of visitors from near and far for years to come.

The transformation of Inverness Castle is supported by £15 million Scottish Government and £3 million UK Government investment through the Inverness and Highland city region deal.

The Inverness and Highland City Region deal is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, Highland Council, HIE and UHI, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.