Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre

About this place

Culloden Battlefield near Inverness marks the site where the last pitched battle fought on British soil took place on 16 April 1746.

The Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was defeated by government forces commanded by the Duke of Cumberland in under an hour.

The National Trust for Scotland cares for the site and runs the visitor centre.

Walking routes across the Highland moor let visitors trace the two battle lines and pass the clan graves marked by simple stones.

History

Charles Edward Stuart landed in Scotland in July 1745 hoping to restore his father to the British throne. His army advanced as far south as Derby before retreating north under pressure. By April 1746 his exhausted and outnumbered forces met government troops at Culloden, where the defeat effectively ended the Jacobite cause as a political force in Britain. The Trust has managed the battlefield and its interpretation for visitors, with the current visitor centre built to present the events and archaeology of the site.

Architecture

The visitor centre is a modern purpose-built structure designed to sit low against the moorland landscape, keeping the battlefield itself free of intrusive buildings.

Worth knowing

The battle and its aftermath, including the harsh reprisals against Highland communities that followed, have shaped Highland identity and folklore for centuries. The site is often visited alongside research into Jacobite family history.

Facilities