Author: Diane Nicholson

At 12.23pm on Friday 20 July 2007 I received Andy Nicholson’s very first email. I remember that day so clearly, and everything that happened afterwards. I just knew deep inside that my life was about to change. This day 19 years ago was the start of our journey together. My online dating profile had just…

At the time of the Battle of Culloden, Culloden Castle (now Culloden House) was owned by Duncan Forbes, 5th of Culloden. He owned all of Drumossie Moor, and most certainly the land our home now stands on (we live between Culloden House and Culloden Battlefield). This was all part of the Culloden Estate. Bonnie Prince…

On 12 October 1911, a local newspaper – The North Star and Farmers’ Chronicle – reported a ghostly sighting. The article reads as follows: “In the Highlands there still lingers a belief in ghosts. The latest story which has come to our ears is that an uncanny visitor from “the Great Beyond” has recently been…

On 14 May 1752, Colin Roy Campbell of Glenure – the ‘Red Fox’ – was shot in the woods at Lettermore. Following the Jacobite defeat in 1746, Campbell had actively contributed to the forfeiting of several pro-Jacobite estates, and it is thought he was on his way to evict Stewart families from homes they had…

The main focus of our library and antique collections is on late 17th and 18th century Scotland, especially the Highlands. This encompasses the period of the Jacobite uprisings and their aftermath, going into the first half of the Georgian Era. The first Jacobite Rising took place in 1689, after the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688….

Niel Gow was born in Strathbraan, Perthshire on March 22, 1727 to John Gow and Catherine McEwan. He emerged from humble beginnings to become the most celebrated Scottish fiddler of the 18th century, a musical legend who would shape Scottish traditional music for centuries to come. Niel’s family moved to Inver near Dunkeld, and by…

Fairburn Tower was built in 1545 for Murdo Mackenzie, the 1st of Fairburn. Murdo was ‘a graceful Youth‘ and a Gentleman of the Bedchamber for King James V. ‘ A Gentleman of the Bedchamber’ was a title in the Royal Household used from the 11th century. The duties consisted of assisting the Monarch with dressing, waiting on…

This is probably the most difficult blog post I’ve ever put together. Creating the video below was a very emotional experience – it is so close to home, in both senses of the word. Andy and I (Diane) live in Culloden. I have lived here since 1990, in a spot between Culloden Battlefield and Culloden…

In the video below, I narrate three stories of what happened here in 1746, around the time of the Battle of Culloden. The events took place in the house, in the adjoining church ruins, and also in the nearby Highland village. I noticed while taking the film, that there were what looked like many shadowy…

What an utterly wonderful year it’s been. Every season has held me spellbound as we’ve journeyed through the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. Every two weeks the vista changes as the seasons move through her mountains and glens. I don’t know how to explain in words just how incredible it is to witness. One month,…

If there’s one thing that these last two years have taught me, it’s that life is to be lived as though every day is special. Towards the end of 2021, we spent a full month redecorating and reorganising every inch of our Culloden home. We painted our open-plan living/dining/kitchen area – one large room which…

When we decided to paint and redecorate our home, we cleared out and reorganised every cupboard and space in the process. During this time, we found some wonderful things that we had almost forgotten we had. Laying on the top of a pile of old photos were two 35 year old aerial photos of our…

This old churchyard in Inverness was a place of Jacobite executions after the Battle of Culloden. Come take a walk with us through the graveyard to learn more… If you’d like to learn more about Scottish history, then come and join us on one of our Virtual Tours listed below: The Culloden Experience: Virtual Tour…

On 14th April 1746, two nights prior to the Battle of Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie enjoyed a lavish meal at Culloden House. In attendance were several Lords, Clan Chiefs, French Commanders and Officers of the Irish Picquets. They gathered around the grand dining table, which was covered in fine tableware belonging to Duncan Forbes, 5th…

In the heart of Culloden Woods, just a short distance from the Battlefield is a walled Clootie Well known as St. Mary’s well. It sits on the ‘Culloden Battlefield Trail’ which runs through Culloden Woods. The Woods are located between the Battlefield and Culloden House. What is a Cloot? Well, traditionally, a piece of cloth…