A special online gallery has been launched by Historic Scotland to celebrate our national heritage.

The public are being invited to submit photographs they have taken at any of the 345 castles, abbeys, palaces, stone circles and other properties in the agency’s care.

The initiative is part of Historic Scotland’s contribution to the 2009 Year of Homecoming.

Marketing and media manager, Rebecca Hamilton, said: “One of the most popular ways of enjoying our sites, and creating a lasting memento of a great day out, is by taking pictures.

“Each year we see a fabulous variety of photographs taken by visitors – from family snaps to artistic studies.

“As part of the Year of Homecoming we decided it would be a fun to give people the chance to share their pictures with a wider audience by  including some of them in our online gallery.”

Anyone wishing to submit a picture for possible inclusion is asked to email it to HSmarketing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

We would ask people not to send hard copies of photographs, or negatives and slides, to avoid the risk of them getting lost.

A small selection of pictures are already on display – these include a mixture of work by visitors, staff and professional photographers