Records head back to the Highlands as centre opens

Published on Monday 26 October 2009 17:57

A NEW £10.5 million archive centre for the Highlands opened for business yesterday as the first of hundreds of historic documents returned to the region.

In the Year of Homecoming, the Keeper of the Records of Scotland has agreed to send back a wealth of material currently being stored at the National Archives in Edinburgh.

This includes hundreds of volumes from 150 Church of Scotland Highland parishes and congregations, and Custom & Excise, fishery and court records.

The handover was completed by Bruce Crawford, minister for parliamentary business .

He said: "Archives act as a magnet to attract people researching their family histories and bring tourists to the local area."

Dr Michael Foxley, leader of the Highland Council's administration, said the new centre provided a bright, safe and spacious home for the region's archival heritage, adding: "Linked to our archive centres in Fort William and Portree, it will not only allow us to store our own rich collection of archives in the Highlands, but will also attract new material."