Major community archive project to celebrate influential figure who shaped Inverness
The largely unrecognised achievements of a 19th-century property developer and prolific collector who shaped the modern townscape of Inverness will be celebrated in a major project led by UHI Inverness.
A partnership of public bodies and university researchers has established the Invernessiana project to honour the life and work of Charles Fraser-Mackintosh by digitising and conserving 100 items from his large archive collection and holding workshops and public events over the spring and summer.
They are revealing their plans for the project now to encourage volunteers to take part in the hands-on opportunity to work on Fraser-Mackintosh’s special collection in the Inverness Library.
The project has been timed to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of Fraser-Mackintosh’s publication ‘Invernessiana’, a book of ‘contributions toward a history of the town and parish of Inverness from 1160 to 1599’, with the hope of restoring his standing as an influential Highland figure.
Fraser-Mackintosh (1828-1901) held many positions of influence throughout his life including lawyer, property developer and parliamentarian, but despite his enduring contributions to the landscape and communities of the Highlands, he remains overlooked.
As a property developer he was responsible, along with others, for building Union Street which is still at the heart of the city today. A dedicated antiquarian, Fraser-Mackintosh collected books, pamphlets and ephemera and his collection in Inverness Library houses more than 5,000 items. It demonstrates a rich heritage of publishing and intellectual activity in the Highlands and is a significant historical and cultural resource.
A print of Union Street in Inverness featured in the Invernessiana book
With the support of funding partners National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bòrd na Gàidhlig Gaelic Plans Fund, Inverness City Heritage Trust funded by Historic Environment Scotland, and Inverness Common Good Fund, the research partners UHI Inverness, UHI North, West and Hebrides (UHI NWH) and Robert Gordon University (RGU) will work closely with High Life Highland on the Invernessiana project to highlight Fraser-Mackintosh’s cultural contribution to the Highlands.
A volunteer group will be established at the library to digitise new and old photographs and items from the collection, and conserve rare materials. The volunteers will work with the research team to create a digitised resource based on Fraser-Mackintosh’s impact on Inverness, and Union Street in particular, and on his interest in Gaelic and land reform.
A series of workshops, public events and exhibitions will be held at Inverness Library and other High Life Highland venues after Easter. School engagement activities involving pupils from Inverness Royal Academy’s Gaelic medium and history classes are due to be held in June.
Project lead Mel Manwaring-McKay, a research development facilitator at the Centre for Living Sustainability at UHI Inverness, said:
“We are so excited to be working with so many enthusiastic partners and with our local community to share the rich resource of the Fraser-Mackintosh collection and tell some fascinating stories from 19th century Inverness and the Highlands. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in the history of Inverness and the wider Highlands to become part of these unique and exciting events. I’d welcome anyone interested to get in touch.”
Julie Corcoran, Head of Libraries, said:
“High Life Highland is absolutely delighted to be involved in this UHI Inverness partner-led collaboration which showcases Inverness Library’s rich and diverse Fraser-Mackintosh rare book collection. The initiative will help to improve access to the collection for students, researchers and the wider community, as well as providing an opportunity for the public to learn about Inverness and the Highlands during the 19th century. The Invernessiana project will create further volunteering opportunities at Inverness Library, and we hope that it will also help to attract new customers to the service.”
Professor Peter Reid, Director of the Centre for Stories, Place, and Northern Communities Research at RGU, said:
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with UHI Inverness and High Life Highland to help bring the Charles Fraser-Mackintosh collection to life and make this rich heritage accessible to communities today. The collection is a treasure trove about the history of Inverness and the wider Highlands, with the ephemera and pamphlets allowing us an insight into aspects of life that might otherwise have faded from memory.”
A ten-year collaboration between UHI Inverness and High Life Highland has improved customer engagement with the Fraser-Mackintosh collection, and this then led to a pilot project with UHI Inverness, UHI NWH and RGU which has resulted in the Invernessiana project.
*Anyone interested in being a project volunteer should contact Mel at research.ic@uhi.ac.uk for further information.