Isle of Lewis (2) - Lews Castle

When I stayed with Cousin Angus and his wife Annie on the Isle of Lewis in July 2017, they took me to Lews Castle in Stornoway. This castle was built by Sir James Matheson 1796-1878. ‘He made his money in the opium trade,’ Angus said. ‘Times have changed – today he’d be put in jail rather than knighted.’

The previous time I was in Stornoway, in 2012, the castle was in a bad state of repair and had been closed for twenty years. Then in 2013, £1.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund was granted to transform Lews Castle into a Museum for the Western Isles, and a great deal more has since been spent on restoring and converting the property.
These photos show the castle with the new aluminium-clad addition that houses the museum. (Inside, the windows along the corridor have beautiful Harris tweed cushions to sit on.)

Lews Castle and museum wing     Photo: Ann Barrie

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Lews Castle and museum wing             Photo: Ann Barrie

The Stornoway Council owns the castle and the museum. Most of the castle has been converted into luxurious self catering holiday destination with Natural Retreats. This photo shows the hall restored to how it used to be; the ceiling made me feel as if I was on the set of a Disney movie. The doorway at the far end opened onto a portico where ladies in their ballgowns and their escorts could dismount from their carriages and sweep into the ballroom.

This photo shows the restored ballroom ceiling:

The beautiful fresco effect on the walls was achieved by painting images onto damp plaster – once it dried it would last almost forever:

The museum has displays on many aspects of life in the Western Isles.  Language:

Fishing and the sea. Thousands of islanders used to work in the fishing industry but numbers have shrunk to a few hundred. Once upon a time they fished mostly for herrings, but now they fish for prawns – the posh name is 'langoustines' – and these are exported, with most going to Spain, France and Italy:

Before the First World War, Angus's grandmother, Lizzie, was a herring girl. These girls travelled round the coast of Scotland, and England as far as Yarmouth, dealing with the herring catch. Fisherman carried the herrings from the boats in large baskets and poured them into troughs, then the girls worked in teams of three: two to gut, and one to pack the herrings into barrels. It was worth their while to be quick, as this was piece work. The fastest workers could gut 90 herrings in a minute. A flick of the wrist and it was done.

The weather. Angus quipped that this must have been said by a new arrival, as those living on the Isles do not enjoy the wind:

And looking forward to an exciting future for the Western Isles:

This beautiful wedding gown, of Harris Tweed made from lambswool, was made for the singer Alyth McCormack:

Wedding gown of Alyth McCormack  Photo: Ann Barrie

This photo shows us lunching on brie and cranberry sandwiches and coffee at the Storehouse café:

The two Annies and Angus at Lews Castle cafe  Photo: Ann Barrie

Afterwards, we wandered along the many woodland paths that surround the castle. Angus and his brother lived just a short walk from the castle when they were growing up, they used it as their playground. They would gorge themselves on salmonberry. This plant has yellow fruit and is closely related to the blackberry; the flowers are a pale pink, similar to wild salmon, hence the name. Other plants they were familiar with included wild rhubarb:

Wild rhubarb at Lews Castle   Photo: Ann Barrie

From the grounds we looked down to Stornoway Harbour. Angus explained that the little blue crab boat, shown in the centre of my photo, will be making his way home after setting his creels (a wire framework covered in netting and baited with fish); in a day or two he will go back to pick them up. At the back of the photo you can just glimpse the tunnels of the ferry Loch Seaforth, named for the mailboat that served Stornoway from 1947-1960.

Stornoway Harbour viewed from Lews Castle   Photo: Ann Barrie

Blog by Ann Barrie. To be continued.

Isle of Lewis (1): Tong; Stitch in the Ditch; Getting lost

While travelling round the UK in July 2017, I visited my second cousins on the Isle of Lewis.  It wasn't straightforward flying there from Wales, but my clever travel agent found an effective, albeit tortuous route – Cardiff > Belfast > Edinburgh > Stornoway – all in the one day. 

Annie and Angus live at Tong Park, which is three miles from the airport as the crow flies, but further by car, as you need to skirt Broad Bay. Their house has a croft at the back, which they allow their neighbour to use, as she is into livestock and they are not. The Stornoway Trust owns these crofts, which are fenced areas of land, rented for a modest fee, with security of tenure, and able to be passed on through the family.

Isle of Lewis, look across croft to Broad Bay with tide out  Photo: Ann Barrie

House at Tong Park, Isle of Lewis    Photo: Ann Barrie

Isle of Lewis, Tong Park, croft behind house     Photo: Ann Barrie

Tong, pronounced Tung, was in the news after Donald Trump became President of the USA, because his mother, Mary, came from Tong. Two of President Trump’s first cousins live in the family home now, but they have never spoken to the media, and the other locals are equally tight-lipped.

 

On my first morning I set out to explore the village, which has become spread-out as new houses are built. Just up the rise from Annie and Angus’s place is Stitch in the Ditch, a relatively new business, run by a mother and daughter. It replaced the small grocery, formerly on the site. The building is plain on the outside, but inside there is an explosion of colour from fabrics, wool, and haberdashery. Since my suitcase was already overfull I contented myself with buying a pair of child’s knitting needles for my grandson.

Stitch in the Ditch, Tong, Isle of Lewis   Photo: Ann Barrie

Stitch in the Ditch, Tong, Isle of Lewis   Photo: Ann Barrie

Stitch in the Ditch also incorporates a café and I lingered there for coffee and cake. I enjoyed my Paradise Slice so much that I asked about the ingredients. The bottom layer is flaky pastry spread generously with crystallised cherries and sultanas; on top of this is a sponge layer made from ground almonds and flour; and the slice is sprinkled generously with castor sugar. I bought extra slices to take back to my cousins.

Paradise Slice at Stitch in the Ditch, Tong   Photo: Ann Barrie

Paradise Slice at Stitch in the Ditch, Tong   Photo: Ann Barrie

Snatches of conversation drifted across from the women seated at the neighbouring table: "Coming back from London a man asked me, 'Can I change seats with you? I don't like mine.' I said, 'Sorry, you can't. I booked this middle one.'" ...  "In a hospital the size of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, there's bound to be umpteen problems -- the local GPs, the cardiologist, the district nurses." ... "There's competition now, flying to Stornoway – Flybe and Loganair. Loganair have pointed out they offer 23 kg baggage."

Tong crossroads, Isle of Lewis   Photo: Ann Barrie

From Stitch in the Ditch, I took a right turn, heading toward Broad Bay. I paused at the Tong Mission House. The previous evening, Angus had given me a succinct summary of the historic divisions within the Scottish church. In the beginning was the Church of Scotland. A group broke away on doctrinal matters and formed the Free Church of Scotland (the church our family forebears attended). Then the Free Presbyterians broke away from Free Church, and for a long time that was the situation – three churches. Twenty-thirty years ago, two groups broke away from the Free Presbyterian Church:  the Associated Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Presbyterian Church. More recently, congregations have broken away from the Church of Scotland over the issue of ordination of gay and lesbian people, and have gone to either the Free Church of Scotland or the Free Presbyterian Church. Follow that if you can.

Tong Free Church, Mission House    Photo: Ann Barrie

I also paused at another building, or what remains of it. A bearded man, who emerged from the house next door, said the absentee owner refuses to do anything about the building. He himself is a Glaswegian, and he travelled round New Zealand with friends during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. They had the Scottish saltire flying from their van and this attracted much attention. Near Haast, a Christchurch neurologist invited them to visit him at his whitebait hide -- everyone at the hide seemed to have a Scottish grandparent and they ended up having a huge ceilidh. 

Abandoned building, Tong, Isle of Lewis   Photo: Ann Barrie

I turned right at the seashore and followed a walking path for some distance, and then retraced my steps, saw an interesting little road, and then another, and another, and before I know it, I was lost. I asked directions of an elderly lady who was surveying her garden. She said I was nearly three miles from Tong Park and suggested I stick to the road I was on, as it would loop round to the main road in due course. I followed her advice, and was relieved when I spotted this bear, which I recognised as being not far from Annie and Angus's house.

Blog by Ann Barrie. To be continued.