Arnish Lighthouse

Went to Ness on Tuesday afternoon, with the dual purpose of visiting the Heritage Centre in Habost (where the Comunn Eachdraidh has its base) and checking the cemetery, which is about a mile down the road towards the sea.

The Heritage Centre is open for only a few hours a day in winter, so was lucky to have timed for an afternoon call. Started off by asking for information from the Comunn Eachdraidh, who were happy to help where possible. As is the case with all the historical societies in Lewis, they are run by volunteers and therefore have hardly time and/or resources to work through queries - I came with a list of about 30. I encountered the same problems in Shawbost, with the West Side CE in a lovely new building by the bridge, but nobody to man it for any length of time. CE Uig is by far the most active, with a volunteer doing a great one-person job on the website and social networking presences. However, upon request, all the historical societies in the island have been more than pleased to help.

The exhibition in the Ness Heritage Centre is worthy of a visit, with an interesting section on the now defunct Decca Station near Eoropie. There were some lovely items on display, but I dread to think what the environmental conditions in the exhibition space must do to the exhibits. A hygrometer was stuck firmly at 90%, and a thermometer would have struggled to reach much above 7C - the same temperature as could be found outside. Better go there on a sunny spring or summer’s day.

I cannot show pictures of the exhibition, as there was a notice asking not to take photographs.

I had visited the Habost Cemetery before, but needed to revisit in order to register the private, family gravestones that refer to casualties of war. I found about 25. I’ll close my report with a few outside pics. It was perishing cold on Tuesday.

The mainland hills, seen from the Habost machair

Looking south, down the coast towards Dell

Don't think these are very welcome

Habost village

Spoke to someone from the St Kilda Centre Development Group earlier this week. The website for the centre has gone live, which (as Lewis based blogger) I would like to highlight. The centre is to be constructed on cliffs overlooking Mangurstadh, on the road just north of Islibhig.

It has also come to my attention that the locations that lost out in the bidding process are still not accepting defeat. Whilst recognising that the link with St Kilda is not as strong from Mangurstadh as it was in relation to Leverburgh; and that the view of the archipelago is most prominent from North Uist, I would like to appeal for some common sense in this saga. The Western Isles are an archipelago of only 25,000 people, and continuing the unseemly squabble over the St Kilda Centre will benefit nobody. In fact, it will only serve to put the island group as a whole in a bad light.

Rather than rolling in the streets like fighting tomcats in March, isn’t it an idea to work together to make this a success story that all of the islands involved could benefit from? How about a satellite centre in Leverburgh and one at Cleitreabhal (North Uist), referred to from Uig. I’m probably naive…

I attended a meeting at the Uig Community Centre in Erista this afternoon. Two academics from Edinburgh were explaining their new theories on an alternative location for the initial find of the Lewis Chessmen, Mealista. There was also information on the 93 pieces that currently reside in the British Museum in London. A number of them will come to Scotland in 2010 and to Lewis in 2011. Whether they will actually come back to Ardroil or nearby Erista (site of the Uig Museum) is not at all certain.

Lewis chessman replica at Ardroil

Able Seaman DONALD MURDO MACIVER
Domhnull Angie Iain Choinnich

Last address in Lewis: Lochganvich
Son of Angus Lewis MacIver and Marion MacIver, of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.
Service: Royal Naval Reserve
Service number: LT/JX400546
Date of death: 5 July 1944 at the age of 20
Lost off Harwich when HMT Ganilly was sunk by U-390
Memorial: Lowestoft Naval, panel 14, column 2
Mentioned on family gravestone in Crossbost Cemetery, Lewis
Local memorial: North Lochs, Crossbost

Alison MacRae from Canada had the following question on the World War II Tribute for Lewis:

On doing research on the family’s homestead in Lochganvich I was very surprised to see this of my relation Donald Murdo Maciver. Was trying to find out more, it said drowned of Harwich, but he was on a Normandy convoy. Looked up the Lowestoft Naval Panel and found his name listed. Are they are any relations still up in the Isle of Lewis. My grandfather was Donald (Daniel) Maciver married to Ann Macintosh, my mother’s name was Rachell. Mum married a Samuel Rennie in Glasgow and then we moved to Canada.

Over the past few weeks, a number of issues have crossed the public agenda which have failed to endear Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to its populace. In general terms, when people are elected to serve in public office, they sometimes have to take decisions that may not be popular. It is however the responsibility of a councillor, a member of parliament, a minister of government to take the bigger picture into account. Us simple citizens do not always have access to the bigger picture, and we should be able to trust our elected representatives to take the big decisions.

The issue of the Stornoway Town Hall refurbishment, which in itself I support, has thrown up a number of questionmarks over the way the consultation process was run. Opponents allege that CnES have been cutting corners - I am not in a position to ascertain whether that is true or not.

The issue of the windfarms, which I have opposed, underlines the point that I hope that councillors have made the right balance of judgement - something that I don’t believe they have - in weighing up pros (monetary gain) and cons (environmental impact).

A round of proposed school closures was announced in recent times, slashing the number of schools in the Western Isles as whole by half. A consultation exercise is supposed to be in full swing. However, if private reports from North Uist are anything to go by, councillors cannot even be bothered to make it to a previously announced community meeting to discuss the closure of the school in Lochmaddy. I don’t know if a vote of no confidence is sufficient to unseat a councillor, but this is absolutely atrocious.

The final point that blotted the CnES copybook from my perspective is the Stornoway Harbour Authority row. The Comhairle is moving to take over Stornoway Port Authority, because SPA was opposed to a plan to fill in part of the Inner Harbour for some very good reasons. I do not trust CnES to make the correct judgement in matters that the SPA currently hold sway over - they could do actual harm.

Today, I took advantage of some gloriously sunny but cold weather to pay a visit to the RSPB reserve at Loch na Muilne, just north of Arnol. There were no birds at the loch, as it was frozen. The only living things moving at the village were starlings, geese, sheep, cats, farm fowl and kids. Arnol is famous for its restored blackhouse, but there are literally dozens of abandoned and ruined blackhouses dotted along the village street. Anyone missing a red safe?

Stornoway Town Hall before the changes

Stornoway Town Hall after the changes

It was announced last night that the proposed changes to the Town Hall interior, with certain modifications, were recommended for approval by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. This ratification is likely to happen tonight, Thursday 18th February. A campaign has been active on Facebook and on the island against these changes, with protesters vowing to take the fight all the way to the Scottish Government (who have the final say on alterations to a listed building) if not the European Courts.

I have previously stated that I am not opposed to the plans for changing the interior of the Town Hall, which are in fact unavoidable due to legislation pertaining to disabled access. However, everybody is entitled to their opinion.

What has stuck in my craw is the lack of opposition to two far more visible changes to the Stornoway townscape in recent years. The Maritime Building on Pier no 1 was pulled down in 2007, without anybody uttering a squeak. The old Shoeshop on Cromwell Street, the oldest house in Stornoway, was demolished in 2009. Again, without so much as a beep from anyone.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar stands accused of mismanaging the consultation process regarding the Town Hall plans, and I am just wondering why nobody was voicing any opposition to the demolition of the two aforementioned buildings. No, they were not the bonniest in town, and the Maritime Building had been empty for a while. However, since the 1930s, people have left the island, many never to return, through the Maritime Building. Where were all the expat Lewismen and -women who are now writing whining letters to Hebrides News, from afar as northern England, imploring the Council not to vandalise the Town Hall? Why were they not sharpening their quills to oppose these very visible changes to the townscape of Stornoway?

Because, let’s face it, the interior changes to the Town Hall are INVISIBLE from the outside. And there are far more people seeing the exterior of the Town Hall, pier number 1 and Cromwell Street, than there will be people seeing the inside of the Town Hall.

A pointless rant? No. I hope the Council take this opportunity to review their consultation procedures, to make planning applications like this more visible to the general public.

A storm swept over Stornoway and the Island of Lewis on the evening of Sunday [1 October 1882], and between eight and nine o’clock at night a perfect hurricane raged from the south-west. It was soon observed that the force of the gale told upon the ships in the harbour, the whole of which speedily began to drive, and some of them threw up signals of distress, but no assistance could be rendered to them. About half-past eight o’clock the barque JOHANNES KOSTER, of Stralsund, with timber, from Demerara for the harbour, drove ashore. The barque ELLEN, of Chester, which put in during the afternoon for shelter, and laden with timber, from Norway, followed soon after, and drove ashore within a few feet of the German barque. While driving the crew of the ELLEN cut the mainmast, and it went by the board, carrying with it, the mizenmast and foretopmast. In the afternoon the brig LADY HEAD, of Aberdeen, bound from Archangel to Glasgow with tar and pitch, put in for shelter and anchored outside Goat Island. She was exposed to the full force of the gale, and she drove on the rocks southward of Goat Island. A boat put off from Newton and rescued the crew: the ship has since become a total wreck. The barque ROWENA, of Aberdeen, from Sundswall for Greenock, with timber, also drove a considerable distance, and touched the end of Goat Island, but apparently without doing any damage. The mail steamer LOCHIEL attempted to tow her off yesterday morning without success. The steamer RIVER LAGAN, of Glasgow, which put in at Stornoway with her propeller blades gone, also drove right across the harbour, and struck the schooner BESSIE, of Arbroath, and broke one of her stanchions. The yacht, SUNBEAM, belonging to Mr. Hodge, supervisor, drove opposite the Imperial Hotel, and is seriously damaged. Two large herring fishing boats, and a large number of pleasure and small fishing boats have been sunk, driven ashore, or broken to pieces. The breast wall alond the south beach has been broken down by the sea in several places, and the whole of South Beach Street was covered with boats, wrecks of boats, pieces of timber, and other debris: and a number of houses were flooded. At the fishing stations of Portnaguran, 13 miles from Stornoway, three large herring fishing boats, which arrived late on Saturday night from Loch Hourin, laden with cargoes of herring, and were left at anchor, have totally disappeared: it is supposed they were driven to sea. At Bayble five herring fishing boats are ling fishing boats there are completely destroyed.

Source: Shipping Intelligence, LL, No. 21,352, London, Thursday October 5 1882.
NMRS, MS/829/69 (no. 3309).

(through RCAHMS/Canmore)

That is, in a word, how Comhairle nan Eilean Siar must be feeling right now. Plans to upgrade Stornoway Town Hall running into mounting opposition, including from within its own authority (see two posts back). And a few days ago, its plans to fill in part of the Inner Harbour at Stornoway were rejected by Stornoway Port Authority on grounds that did not seem unreasonable to me. The rejection was not taken lying down; on the contrary, the reaction from councillors was one of unmitigated fury.

I am reasonably familiar with the problems posed by water getting too close for comfort. As such, it would appear to me that filling in the upper reaches of the Inner Harbour would have been asking for trouble. Anyone who knows our town in winter, will be familiar with the problems posed by flooding at times of high tide and / or high winds. North Beach, Cromwell Street and Bayhead properties can be seen lined with sandbags at such time, and still people end up with wet feet. If you take space away from the water to go to, it will go somewhere else. Like onto the streets of Stornoway.

Perhaps the Town Fathers should go to the oil barons to ask for a contribution towards cleaning up the mess left behind at the Maclennan’s Oilyard on North Beach. This is due to be converted to a carpark (and that’s what this whole saga is about, carparking space).