A new battle of Culloden – to save it for the future

The National Trust for Scotland is this week launching a public consultation to try and ensure the long-term protection of Culloden Moor, the site of the 1745 battle.

This pivotal moment in Scotland’s history was where the 1745 Jacobite Rising came to a tragic and brutal end in one of the most harrowing battles in British history.

Today, the landscape – which is a place of great cultural significance – has become the scene of another conflict with developers pushing forward plans that encroach on the site. The current legal safeguards do not protect the area, and the fear is that unsympathetic development with plans for housing and businesses will ruin the historic landscape forever.

With a view of mobilising the support and ideas of the people who love Culloden to help shape its future, the National Trust for Scotland is inviting the public to get involved in a consultation that will create a vision for the landscape that acknowledges Scotland’s past, present and future.

By engaging a wide and diverse audience, the outcome will give a clear recommendation of what would be acceptable and appropriate development for the area – one which takes account of the place’s importance to Scotland and beyond, as well as the needs of the local and wider community and economy.

Raoul Curtis-Machin, operations manager for Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre at the National Trust for Scotland – the conservation charity with a vision that Scotland’s heritage is valued by everyone and protected now and for future generations, said: ‘Culloden is a place that many people are passionate about for its important place in Scotland’s story. We want to hear people’s views on their hopes for Culloden’s future and how this site should be protected and presented for future generations.

(From left) Rosanna Jarvie, Astrid Joergensen, Catriona McIntosh, Emily Dueholm, Tim Belton, Sheena Huber, Holly Whitfield, Debbie Reid and Emma McIntosh – the National Trust for Scotland team at Culloden

‘The reality is that there are pressures for land in this area and what we want to achieve is a planned and positive approach that protects Culloden and what it represents to so many people.

‘We know what getting this wrong means – we just need to look at Bannockburn to see how a piecemeal approach to planning can harm our important historical sites. That’s why we are acting now and seeking the input and expertise from everyone who feels a connection with Culloden and its story.’

The Culloden 300 consultation will run from 4 April 2019 – 31 August 2019, with an exhibition stationed at Leanach Cottage on the battlefield site for anyone interested in finding out more. There will also be town-house style events running in June and July. For anyone wishing to submit their comments electronically, a short survey can be filled out here: www.culloden300.org.uk

The draft document will be produced in September 2019, followed by one final consultation with the final vision being detailed in December 2019.

To find out more about Culloden visit: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culloden

Culloden has become internationally recognised again, after the success of the hit book and TV series Outlander, which portrays events surrounding the battle. Last year, fans have been asked to pay more respect when visiting Culloden battlefield amid reports of selfie-taking and picnics at clan graves.