The bust of Sir John Gordon by Edmé Bouchardon.
The Bouchardon Bust of Sir John Gordon, The Invergordon Vision:
“A National Treasure, A New Home, A Future Secured”
This is a defining moment for the cultural heritage of the Highlands and the United Kingdom. We are not merely seeking to save a statue; we are launching a transformative project for regional regeneration.
The Bouchardon Bust of Sir John Gordon, a 1728 masterpiece of Neoclassical sculpture, is the likeness of our town’s founder and a work of undisputed national importance. Our mission is to ensure this treasure remains in the Highlands.
The Journey So Far: A Relentless Pursuit of Accountability
The Invergordon Museum has led a principled campaign to protect this asset. A commitment to transparency in the face of institutional silence has defined our journey:
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The Struggle for Transparency: In August 2025, we initiated formal Freedom of Information (FOI) proceedings to uncover the Council’s decision-making process. Despite the statutory importance of this case, we have faced a wall of delays and missed deadlines.
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The Commissioner’s Appeal: After the Council failed to meet legal requirements, we escalated the matter to the Scottish Information Commissioner in January 2026. To this day, nine months since our initial request, we have yet to receive a resolution. This silence is unacceptable for a matter of such public interest.
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Exposing the Flaws: We have highlighted that the initial decision to sell this "Waverley-standard" treasure was based on a consultation of just 68 local responses. We contend that such a negligible sample is no mandate for the irreversible loss of a national treasure.
A Catalyst for Prosperity
This project is an economic engine for the Highlands:
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Tourism Anchor: We project the bust will attract 20,000 annual visitors, converting existing cruise tourism into a sustainable engine for the town.
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Community Wealth: Our modelling shows a revenue stream of £80,000 per year for the local community, far outstripping the one-time injection of a private sale.
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Cultural Dignity: This is about the right of a community to hold onto its history. Sir John Gordon belongs in the town he built.
We have done the groundwork, fighting battles, challenging valuations, and developing a sustainable model. We now seek partners to make this a reality.
The bust stays in the UK. The vision starts now.
𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑!
They think they can buy our history. They think they can just crate up Sir John Gordon, the very man who founded our town, and lock him away overseas forever. We have until August to prove them wrong!
𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝:
𝐓𝐇𝐄 "𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆" 𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐌
We have launched an official Crowdfunder to raise £100,000. This isn't just a random target; this is an All-or-Nothing campaign.
If we hit £100,000, we can unlock massive, matching institutional funding to secure the bust and build his permanent home right here in Invergordon.
𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 £𝟏 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.
𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖
We are not asking a few people for thousands. We are asking the entire Highland community to stand up. If every person who loves our heritage chips in the price of a pint or a coffee, we win.
DONATE A FIVER: Click the link and give £5. Do it for the history, do it for the town, do it to show them that 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬. Others think we'll sit back and let this happen. 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.
OUR FIGHT TO KEEP THE BUST IN THE UK:
Statement of Case - Valuation Discrepancy and the Public Interest - 27 March 2026
Petition by Jane Mackinnon "Stop this Scandalous Amputation of our Scottish Heritage"
