View source for Inveraray

{{Short description|Town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland}}
{{distinguish |Inverarnan|Inverurie}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
| gaelic_name = Inbhir Aora<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scarf.scot/regional/rarfa/regional-archaeological-research-framework-for-argyll-case-studies/case-study-18-inveraray-the-birth-and-development-of-a-planned-town-in-argyll/ |title=Case Study 18: Inveraray – the Birth and Development of a Planned Town in Argyll &#124; the Scottish Archaeological Research Framework }}</ref>
| scots_name = Inverera<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotslanguage.com/books/view/1/823/Names%20in%20Scots%20-%20Places%20in%20Scotland|title=Scotslanguage.com - Names in Scots - Places in Scotland}}</ref>
| official_name = Inveraray
| static_image_name = TyInveraray20030829r25f32.jpg
| static_image_caption = Inveraray's Main Street (the [[A83 road|A83]]), looking northeast to [[Loch Fyne]]
| population = {{Scottish locality population|name|POP=Inveraray}}
| population_ref = ({{Scottish settlement population citation|year}})<ref>{{Scottish settlement population citation}}</ref>
| unitary_scotland = Argyll and Bute
| lieutenancy_scotland = Argyll and Bute
| constituency_westminster         = [[Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)|Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Argyll and Bute]]
| country = Scotland
| sovereign_state = 
| coordinates = {{coord|56.230808|-5.0732468|region:GB_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference = NN 09600 08500
| post_town = INVERARAY
| postcode_area = PA
| postcode_district = PA32
| dial_code = 01499
| edinburgh_distance_mi = 75<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdistance.com/search?from=Inveraray,+UK&to=Edinburgh,+UK&flat=56.2317854&flon=-5.075410199999965&tlat=55.953252&tlon=-3.188266999999996|title=Distance from Inveraray, UK to Edinburgh, UK or how far is Inveraray, UK from Edinburgh, UK?|language=en|access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref>
| london_distance_mi = 383<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdistance.com/search?from=Inveraray,+UK&to=London,+UK&flat=56.2317854&flon=-5.075410199999965&tlat=51.5073509&tlon=-0.12775829999998223|title=Distance from Inveraray, UK to London, UK or how far is Inveraray, UK from London, UK?|language=en|access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref>
| website = 
}}

'''Inveraray''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɪ|n|v|ə|ˈ|r|ɛər|i}} <small>or</small> {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɪ|n|v|ə|ˈ|r|ɛər|ə}}; {{langx|gd|Inbhir Aora}} {{IPA|gd|iɲɪɾʲˈɯːɾə|pron}} <small>meaning</small> "mouth of the [[Aray river|Aray]]") is a town in [[Argyll and Bute]], [[Scotland]]. Located on the western shore of [[Loch Fyne]], near its head, Inveraray is a former [[royal burgh]] and known affectionately as "The Capital of Argyll." It is the traditional county town of [[Argyll]], and the [[Family seat|ancestral seat]] to the [[Duke of Argyll]].  

== History ==

=== The Old Town ===
The original town of Inveraray was situated on the estuary of the [[River Aray]], at the intersection of the trading route through Glen Aray and the estuary where ships were able to anchor. The town grew up in the shadow of the first [[Inveraray Castle]], home of the [[Earl of Argyll]] from the early 15<sup>th</sup> century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Fraser |first=Alexander |title=The Royal Burgh of Inveraray |date=1977 |publisher=The Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh |isbn=978-0715203545 |location=Edinburgh |language=English}}</ref>

To encourage trade there were various proposals for burgh status, with the 1<sup>st</sup> Earl of Argyll being successful in 1474 when [[James III of Scotland|King James III]] established it as a [[burgh of barony]].<ref name=":1">{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |desc=Inveraray, Old Village |num=23347 |num2=NN00NE 13 |access-date=2025-06-23}}</ref> This allowed a weekly market on Saturdays and two annual fairs: the feast of [[Brendan the Navigator|St Brandan]] on 16 May and the feast of [[Michael (archangel)|Michael the Archange]]<nowiki/>l on 29 September.

During the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], the [[James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose|Marquis of Montrose]], and his army of [[Royalist]] supporters advanced into Argyll. Montrose's army burned and sacked Inverarary and the surrounding territory between December 1644 and January 1645.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland |desc=Battle of Inverlochy II |num=BTL24}}</ref> On 14 January 1645, Montrose left Inveraray and headed north where they would fight in the [[Battle of Inverlochy (1645)|Battle of Inverlochy]] on 2 February 1645.  

Inveraray became a [[Royal burgh|Royal Burgh]] on 28 January 1648 following incorporation by King Charles I.  Records from 1690 and 1706 recorded about fifty properties in the town.<ref name=":1" /> 

In 1746 a “summons of removal” was served on the people of the town, in order for the 3<sup>rd</sup> Duke of Argyll’s vision for a new town to be built, half a mile away from where his new castle was being built.  There were delays in work actually starting on the new town, with most of the houses in the old town not being demolished until 1771 to 1776, although some had been demolished in 1758 to allow for the construction of the military road.<ref name=":1" />  

=== Inveraray Castle ===
{{Main Article|Inveraray Castle}}

[[File:Inveraray Castle - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|left|Inveraray Castle]]
The first Inveraray Castle was built around 1432 and by 1457 was the home of Colin, second Lord Campbell when he became first Earl of Argyll. 

In 1744 the [[third Duke of Argyll]] decided to demolish the existing castle and start from scratch with a new building. The castle was 40 years in construction, and the work was largely supervised by the Adam family, still renowned to this day as gifted architects and designers. The end product was not a castle in the traditional sense, but a classic Georgian [[mansion]] house on a grand scale, [[Inveraray Castle]].

Over the years the castle has played host to numerous luminaries; [[Queen Victoria]] visited it in 1847,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lindsay, I.G. & Cosh, M. |title=Inveraray and the Dukes of Argyll |date=1973 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=0852241879}}</ref> and the Royal connection was further cemented when her daughter, [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Princess Louise]], married the heir to the Campbell chieftainship,[[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll| the Marquess of Lorne]], in 1871,<ref name="Inveraray">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/interiorsandshopping/8635073/Inveraray-Castle-home-to-the-Duke-of-Argyll.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714204018/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/interiorsandshopping/8635073/Inveraray-Castle-home-to-the-Duke-of-Argyll.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2011 |title=Inveraray Castle: home to the Duke of Argyll |date=14 July 2011 |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |author=Matthew Dennison}}</ref> illustrating the elevated position of the Argyll family in the social order of the times.
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=== The New Town ===
[[File:Inveraray from the Tower.jpg|thumb|left|View from the Bell Tower.]]
In 1747, [[William Adam (architect)|William Adam]] had drawn up plans for the creation of a new Inveraray. By 1770, little had been done, and the fifth Duke set about rebuilding the town in its present form. Some of the work on the rebuilt Inveraray was done by [[John Adam (architect)|John Adam]]. The Inveraray Inn (formerly known as the New Inn, Great Inn, Argyll Arms Hotel and Argyll Hotel) on Front Street being his, as well as the Town House. Much of the rest of the town, including the church, was designed and built by the celebrated Edinburgh-born architect [[Robert Mylne (architect)|Robert Mylne]] (1733-1811) between 1772 and 1800.<ref>Ward, Robert (2007) ''The Man Who Buried Nelson: The Surprising Life of Robert Mylne''. London: [[Tempus Publishing]]. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-3922-8}}. pp.101, 167</ref>

The end product was an attractive town which included houses for estate workers, a [[woollen mill]], and a pier to exploit [[herring]] fishing, which was to grow in later years to play a major role in the town's economy. The finished product is one of the best examples of an 18th-century new town in Scotland, and the vast majority of the properties in the centre of Inveraray are considered worthy of protection because of the town's architectural significance.

=== World War II ===
During the [[Second World War]] the [[Combined Operations Training Centre]], located close to the town, was an important military facility.<ref>{{cite web |title=No. 1 Combined Training Centre, Inveraray |url=https://www.combinedops.com/Training%20No1%20CTC.htm |access-date=2017-02-01 |publisher=Combinedops.com}}</ref> Between 1940 and 1944, roughly 250,000 allied soldiers received training at the centre. It was used primarily as a training site for the simulation of landing on enemy occupied beaches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=No 1 Combined Training Centre, Inveraray - HMS Quebec |url=https://www.combinedops.com/Training%20No1%20CTC.htm |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.combinedops.com}}</ref> The training provided here was pivotal in numerous missions, not to mention [[Normandy landings|D-Day]]. The quality of the training benefited greatly from the multi-agency presence, combining the expertise of the [[British Army|army]], [[Royal Navy|navy]] and [[Royal Air Force|RAF]].

=== Coat of Arms ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Inveraray Coat of Arms.jpg|alt=Inverary Coat of Arms. |thumb|Inveraray Coat of Arms]] -->
Inveraray's [[coat of arms]] depicts a net cast out over the ocean, entangled in which are five [[herring]]s. Underneath the shield, the [[Latin]] words "SEMPER TIBI PENDEAT HALEC" (possible English translation: "may a herring always hang to thee") appear on an escrol.<ref>{{cite web |title=INVERARAY |url=http://www.thereformation.info/travelscotland1.htm |access-date=7 October 2014 |website=thereformation.info}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Record: Miniature pig, with Inveraray coat of arms |url=http://nms.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-180-001-966-C |access-date=7 October 2014 |website=National Museums Scotland}}</ref>

[[Arthur Charles Fox-Davies]], in his 1909 book ''A Complete Guide to Heraldry'', notes the following:

<blockquote>''There'' is no doubt of its ancient usage. ...and the [[blazon]] of the coat, according to the form it is depicted upon the Corporate seal, would be for the field: "The sea proper, therein a net suspended from the dexter chief and the sinister fess points to the base; and entangled in its meshes five herrings," which is about the most remarkable coat of arms I have ever come across.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924029796608 |title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry |publisher=Dodge |year=1909 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924029796608/page/n113 88]}}</ref></blockquote>
==Tourist attractions==

=== Inveraray Jail ===
''Main Article: [[Inveraray Jail]]''
[[File:Inveraray Jail (geograph 5958191).jpg|thumb|Inveraray Jail]]
The building was originally built as a courthouse and jail between 1816-1820. It was built on the 1813 design by [[James Gillespie Graham]], which replaced [[Robert Reid (architect)|Robert Reid]]'s original design that had been abandoned due to lack of funds. Both the courthouse and the jail were opened in 1820. The courtroom, on the first floor, is a hemicycle with large windows and a magnificent view of the prison yard and Loch Fyne. 

With the Prisons Act of 1877, the government took control of the jail and began the construction of larger prisons in populated centres. The opening of [[HM Prison Barlinnie|Barlinnie Prison]] in [[Glasgow]] in 1882 led to the closure of small local jails in the west of Scotland, including Inveraray Jail in 1889. However, the court continued its activities until 1954.

Restoration work was undertaken in 1989 to convert the jail into a visitor attraction.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Former Inveraray Court House, Crown Point, Inveraray |url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB35030 |access-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref>

=== Mercat Cross ===
Dated from the 15th century, this cross was previously stood in the Old Town, but is currently located on the Inveraray Pier on the seafront end of the Inveraray Main Street. <ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |desc=Inveraray, Pier, Mercat Cross |num=23343 |num2=NN00NE 1 |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>

=== Bell Tower ===
This detached bell tower southwest of the All Saints' Episcopal Church was built as a memorial to [[Clan Campbell|Campbells]] who perished in [[World War I|WWI]] and previous wars.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=ARC |desc=Inveraray, All Saints' Episcopal Church View of bell tower from South East |num=457635 |num2=B 19049 CN |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref> [[Inveraray Bell Tower|The Bell Tower]] dominates the town, and contains the [[campanology|second-heaviest ring of ten bells]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers |url=http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/dove.php? |access-date=2009-07-28}}</ref> The bell tower is open to the public, and the bells are rung regularly.

===Dun Na Cuaiche, Tower===
[[File:DunNaCuaiche 2013-08.jpg|thumb|left|DunNaCuaiche 2013-08]]

Is a [[folly]] of a ruined watch tower overlooking Inveraray and Loch Fyne.  Built 1747-48 by William Douglas, at a contract price of £46 for the mason work, commissioned by the 3rd Duke of Argyll.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=23635 |num2=NN11SW 2 |desc=Dun Na Cuaiche}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Popular Culture==

=== Novels ===
The journalist and author, [[Neil Munro (writer)|Neil Munro]], was born in Inveraray in 1863.  Best known for his [[Para Handy]] Tales, about the [[Clyde puffer|Clyde Puffers]], he also wrote a number of novels, some of which feature Inveraray, including John Splendid, The New Road and Doom Castle.  He also wrote a number of poems.  

=== Poetry ===
[[Robert Burns]] reflects coldly on his time spent in Inverary in his poem 'Written at Inverary': <blockquote>Whoe'er he be that sojourns here,

I pity much his case,

Unless he's come to wait upon

The Lord their God, his Grace.

There's naething here but Highland pride

And Highland cauld and hunger;

If Providence has sent me here,

T'was surely in his anger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Written At Inverary. by Robert Burns • Simple Poetry |url=https://www.simple-poetry.com/poems/written-at-inverary-49335851662 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Simple Poetry |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Television ===
Inveraray was featured in an episode of the [[PBS]] series ''Great Estates of Scotland'', as was the present [[Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll|Duke of Argyll]], head of [[Clan Campbell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/show/great-estates-scotland/|title=Great Estates of Scotland, Inveraray|website=[[PBS]] |access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref>

The town and Inveraray Castle were used as filming locations for the season 2 of the Netflix series [[The Diplomat (American TV series)|The Diplomat]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Where is The Diplomat Filmed? Your Guide to the Season 2 Locations |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-diplomat-locations |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250319114708/https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-diplomat-locations |archive-date=2025-03-19 |access-date=2025-03-21 |work=Netflix Tudum |language=en}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" class="center">
File:Inveraray, Scotland, UK (RLH).jpg|Inveraray, viewed from the B839 on the Eastern side of Loch Fyne, above [[St Catherines, Argyll|St Catherines]]
File:Inveraray Bridge - Loch Fyne.jpg|Aray Bridge on Loch Fyne from Inveraray. The spires of [[Inveraray Castle]] can just be seen on the left. The hill behind the bridge is Dun Corr Bhile
File:Inveraray reflections (4941986874).jpg|Inveraray reflections
File:Inveraray panoramic.jpg|Main street of Inveraray
File:Archway from Inveraray town - geograph.org.uk - 382209.jpg|Archway from Inveraray town
File:Inveraray - panoramio.jpg|Aray Bridge
File:Inveraray 1844 Cadell Print Waverley Novels Book Illustration Print Plate.jpg|Inveraray 1844 ''from Waverley Novels vol. iv''
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Inveraray}}
{{wikivoyage|Inveraray}}

{{oscoor gbx|NN 09600 08500}}
*[http://inveraray-inn.co.uk/ Website for The Inveraray Inn]
*[http://www.inveraray-castle.com/ Website for Inveraray Castle]
*[http://www.inverarayjail.co.uk/ Website for Inveraray Jail]
*[http://www.visit-inveraray.co.uk/webcam.html Inveraray Webcams and Live Weather]
*Engraving of a [http://digital.nls.uk/74582312 view of Inveraray] by [[James Fittler]] in the digitised copy of [http://digital.nls.uk/scotia-depicta/ Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland], 1804 at [[National Library of Scotland]]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Inveraray}}
[[Category:Inveraray| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Highlands and Islands of Scotland]]
[[Category:Former county towns in Scotland]]
[[Category:Royal burghs]]
[[Category:Parishes in Argyll]]