Town House tours aim to give the 'wow' factor
TOURS of Inverness Town House would complete a so-called cultural triangle if they get under way next month.
Councillors will be recommended to agree a plan to start tours for the public of the city centre landmark, which has undergone a multimillion-pound renovation.
The hour-long tours would cost £7 for adults and £4 for children and are set to take place on Thursday afternoons, and possibly Tuesdays, and would run until the end of September.
It follows a special doors open event which attract 3000 people to the Town House in February.
Highland Council’s Inverness city manager David Haas and High Life Highland’s (HLH) principal cultural manager Judi Menabney have outlined the proposal in a report for the local authority’s city committee, which will decide whether to give it the green light on Thursday.
"From the outside alone the town house is acknowledged as the most visually impressive building in the city centre and the lavish interior within is a stunning example of Victorian opulence and swagger," the report stated.
"It is regarded by locals and visitors to the city as the jewel in Inverness’s architectural crown, particularly since the stunning renovation work was completed this year.
"However, while loved by many, the town house is accessible to just a tiny minority. Providing guided tours would remedy this missed opportunity and provide a further new visitor attraction in the city centre with real ‘wow’ factor."
A maximum of 12 places would be available for each tour, which would be led by staff from Inverness Castle Viewpoint and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG). The "modest scale" will allow for "fine tuning" and an evaluation would be carried out before tourist season 2019.
"The limited capacity of the tours, coupled with the high staff to visitor ratio, mean the tours will never be a ‘money spinner’," added the report.
"The primary driver for offering town house tours is not commercial in any case; it is to add a third, uniquely ‘Inverness’, visitor attraction to the city centre. IMAG, the castle viewpoint and the town house would thus create something of a ‘cultural triangle’ around Castle Wynd, which will provide an excellent precursor for the planned future major development of the castle and its environs."
If every tour was fully booked, the council and HLH would receive just £1000 profit each. However, to break even each tour would need to have, on average, a minimum of two adults and one child.
It would be marketed through the IMAG and viewpoint as well as social media and leaflets for city hotels and B&Bs.
