New exhibition showing Scotland from the sky to open at Fort George | UK News

An exhibition exploring Scotland from the sky is set to open at a fortress in the Highlands this week.

Celebrating Scotland’s Landscapes is going on display at Fort George and will feature images from the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP).

The exhibition will showcase ancient settlements, recent ruins and the ways people have made an impact on the natural world, as well as how people have interacted with the landscape for thousands of years.

Images on display include an oblique aerial view of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is famously known for featuring in the Harry Potter films as the Hogwarts Express train travels to the magical school.

There will also be aerial snaps of Achnahaird Bay in Wester Ross, the remains of Kirk Tofts broch in Keiss, and a stretch of General Wade’s Military Road from Dalwhinnie to Fort Augustus.

NCAP – part of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) – is one of the largest collections in the world, with more than 30 million images in its care from every continent.

The archive offers a unique view of key moments in history, including rare images from the 1920s and Ministry of Defence declassified reconnaissance imagery from the Second World War and Cold War.

Celebrating Scotland’s Landscapes will go on display at Fort George near Ardersier from 17 January until 27 April.

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The original Fort George was besieged by thousands of Jacobites during the 1745 rising and was blown up to prevent it being reused as a military base by the British army.

A year after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, George II gave the green light to build a new fort at the mouth of the Moray Firth.

According to VisitScotland, Fort George is the “mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not Europe”.

The tourism body said its “garrison buildings, artillery defences bristling with cannon, and superb collection of arms – including bayoneted muskets, pikes, swords and ammunition pouches – provide a fascinating insight into 18th-century military life”.

Claire Whitbread, exhibitions manager at HES, said: “We’re thrilled to be kicking off 2025 by bringing this exciting exhibition to one of our iconic sites and an imposing fortification, Fort George.

“Celebrating Scotland’s Landscapes looks at our heritage from a new angle, thanks to Scotland’s amazing collection of aerial photography that continues to inspire our understanding of the past.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to experience these impactful images for themselves and to dive into the history of how we have shaped and lived with the landscape, all from a different perspective.”