Redevelopment

The museum is currently closed. Read on to find out more about our big plans for the future.

With this capital redevelopment project we hope to put Cromarty Museum at the heart of our community and preserve it for the next generations.

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Cromarty Courthouse is a rare example of an early courthouse that predates reforms to the Scottish legal system. The A-listed, rationalist building is of architectural significance and an important civic building and has an original, and extremely unusual, cell range at the back of the building. Constructed predominately between 1772-82 and designed to have an imposing presence visible to ships navigating the Firth, the building is iconic and situated at the centre of Cromarty’s unique townscape.

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We plan to keep a heritage building at risk open to the public by completing the urgent structural repairs needed to the courthouse building to make it weather and water-tight again. Buildings in the 1770s weren’t designed to be physically accessible but we have found ways to create level access from the street and throughout the building so everyone can visit the spectacular courtroom with its original benches and braisers.

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The Courthouse first opened as a local history museum in 1990 to preserve public access to a nationally significant building and to provide a home for local heritage. This heritage is important to both communities of place and interest; telling an international story of trade, enslavement, and emigration alongside the long history of Cromarty as a settlement.

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A small extension to the side of the building will allow us to install a lift to the first floor, an accessible WC, and a multi-functional shop / event / refreshments space to support the running costs of our independent charitable museum.

No longer having a damp and cold building will allow us to care for the objects in the museum’s collection better, making sure that they are preserved for the future. We plan to work with our communities to co-develop the new museum displays so that they reflect the voices of people who care about Cromarty and share the stories that matter to our community.

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This project will mean that there is a museum telling the story of Cromarty in Cromarty for generations to come. If we are successful in getting the funding, we hope the project will start in 2027 and the museum re-open for the courthouse’s 250th anniversary in 2031. We will be applying to the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) for the majority of the project funding along with a number of other funders.

Timeline so far

2024

Options Apraisal

2024 Options Appraisal identifying making the courthouse fit-for-purpose as the strongest option for future sustainability for Cromarty Museum.

Partnership

Discussions with the building owners, Highland Council, to partner for this project to repair an at risk Grade A listed building and make it fit-for-purpose as a 21st century museum.

2025

Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study exploring how to make the building accessible, the level of community support for the project, and sustainability of the business model after the redevelopment project. These all exceeded the threshold we set ourselves and gave us the confidence to move forward with the project.

Permission to Apply

Permission to apply to NHLF’s heritage grants programme granted.

2026

Application

In 2026 we will be focusing on writing our full application to NHLF and other funders for the project development stage and recruiting members for our voluntary project steering group to ensure that we have as robust a project plan as possible.