Tag Archives: Old High Church

July 5, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Inverness; Ness Bridge Area


Inverness Castle overlooking the east bank of River Ness

We’re now along the west bank of River Ness, having crossed over that Greig Street Bridge I showed you on Monday’s article. We turned onto Huntly Street and headed south. If you turn around and look back from whence you came, you’ll get this great shot of both Free North Church and the Junction Church:

Free North Church (left) and the Junction Church

After spending about an hour hitting various stores along Huntly, and including Highland House of Fraser (kilts, highland accessories, tartans, and all things Scottish), we crossed back to the east bank via Ness Bridge. Now it was time to visit the sights along Bridge and High Streets.

Where Bridge Street becomes High Street

High Street struck me as being perhaps the main shopping district for Inverness. High-end stores, another House of Fraser, great whisky shops, plenty of great stuff everywhere.

High Street vendors and tenants

The turrets you see in the photo below belong to the Inverness Town Hall. Just past the town hall is where High Street transitions to a pedestrian street:

Inverness Town Hall on High Street (twin turrets right side)

But just before you get to Inverness Town Hall, still on Bridge Street, you’ll come across the Tollbooth Steeple:

The Town Tollbooth Steeple, 2 Bridge Street

Here is the building to which the Tollbooth Steeple is attached:

Tollbooth Steeple building

Still on High Street, before it transitions to a pedestrian street, here’s a look back at the Inverness Town Hall’s west façade:

Inverness Town Hall

Beyond there you’ll find another fun High Street roofline:

31-33 High Street
Another view of Inverness Town Hall

It was time to head back to the bus terminal for a return trip in Invergordon and our rendezvous with Jewel of the Seas, so we turned north onto Church Street:

Lauders Pub, 16 Church Street

On Fun Photo Friday I’ll show you scenes of Invergordon, as well as some favorites taken here in Inverness. In the meantime, ever wonder where oil platforms go to die? Invergordon offered us some insight into that. Taken from aboard Jewel:

Oil platforms awaiting disassembly
More oil platforms off the coast of Invergordon

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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July 3, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Voyage 2; Inverness and Invergordon, Scotland


Jewel of the Seas left Cobh, Ireland on 6 June 2022. We arrived back in Amsterdam two days later, and on 10 June during the second of three voyages, we made port in Invergordon, Scotland. From Invergordon Ursula and I took the bus into Inverness for a self-guided foot tour. On this week’s Fun Photo Friday, I’ll show favorites of both Invergordon and Inverness, but today and Wednesday I’ll be concentrating on the city of Inverness. We alighted from the bus at the bus station on Margaret Steet and headed out southwest. After some twists and turns — Margaret St., right onto Academy St., then left School Ln. (a narrow pedestrian street), we arrived at our first picture stop, Old High Church and its graveyard.

Old High Street Church Graveyard

The first documented church located on this site dates back to 1171. Construction of the current structure began in 1770, but the base of the belltower is much older. That part is from the 14th century, making that portion of the church the oldest structure still standing in Inverness.

Old High Church

Unfortunately, I did not know that when I took these photographs. So, my photo of the belltower lacks the historic base:

Old High Church belltower

Old High Church is not the only great church façade near here. Turn left onto Bank Street and you’ll immediately see two more. First, you’ll see the Gothic-style Free North Church built in 1893:

Free North Church at 7 Bank Street

And just a short distance beyond Free North Church is the Junction Church, formerly the St Columba High Church building completed in 1852:

The Junction Church; formerly St Columba High Church

And what’s that I spy across the River Ness? Why, yes, it’s another church! This is St. Mary’s:

St Mary’s Catholic Church at 30 Huntly Street

St Mary’s opened for business in 1837, and the exterior details are magnificent:

St Mary’s Church, 30 Huntly Street along River Ness

Standing on Bank Street along River Ness across from the Junction Church, face south for these views of Ness Bridge and the Best Western Palace Hotel and Spa:

Ness Bridge (foreground) Best Western Palace Hotel (left) Columba Hotel (left-center)

These old buildings just south of Ness Bridge are fun to photograph. The Columba Hotel was built in 1881, and the Palace dates from about a decade later.

Columba Hotel details

The building adjoining Columba Hotel also has an interesting roofline:

Columba Hotel (far left) on Ness Walk

At this point Ursula and I decided to cross River Ness, leaving behind Bank Street for Huntly Street. Fortunately, just across from North Free Church, is Greig Street Bridge. This pedestrian suspension bridge was built in 1880-’81:

Greig Street Bridge — A suspension footbridge

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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