Balnain House

Three centuries on the Ness

A merchant built the house in 1726. Twenty years later, after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, it was used as a field hospital for Hanoverian troops. In the 1880s it became the Highland base of the Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency. Few buildings in Inverness have seen as many roles over the centuries.

Saved and reused

By 1968 the house faced demolition, until the Inverness Civic Trust stepped in and restored it over the following decade. From 1993 it was open as The Home of Highland Music, a music heritage centre, but that closed in 2000. The National Trust for Scotland bought the building in 1996 and now uses it as offices, so you see it from the outside. Its survival is a good example of local campaigners saving a building that many had written off.

On a riverside walk

Huntly Street runs along the river opposite the city centre, with views across to the castle and the Old High Church. River House restaurant is next door, and the Mustard Seed is a short walk over the bridge. Continue upstream and you reach St Mary's RC Church and, further on, the Ness Islands. It is an easy addition to any stroll along the river, especially on a calm evening when the light falls on the water.

Highlights

• Merchant's house built in 1726
• Field hospital after Culloden in 1746
• Highland base of the Ordnance Survey from the 1880s
• Former Home of Highland Music heritage centre

Good to know

• The building is used as offices by the National Trust for Scotland and is not open to visitors inside.
• It is best seen from Huntly Street or the opposite bank of the river.

Frequently asked questions