£5,000 to help publish book about Stornoway’s architectural heritage

A new book, soon to be published by Stornoway Historical Society, has been given a grant of £5,000 by local wind farm charity Point and Sandwick Trust (PST).

A considerable town: Stornoway’s built heritage has been extensively researched by writers Catherine MacKay, Ian Wilson and Jessie Murray, with images and stories that celebrate the unique architectural heritage and tell the story of the Hebridean town.

The illustrated book will explore the history of the Stornoway from a new perspective, through its buildings and architecture, highlighting features and traditions of building that give the town a highly distinctive character. The book considers the many challenges faced in the creation of modern Stornoway, especially the lack of locally available building materials such as timber and usable stone, its remoteness from the mainland, and the subsequent cost of building. These led to innovative and distinctive building techniques, some recognised at a national level. The impact of new materials such as Portland cement was transformative in enabling a new level of creativity.

Beginning with an exploration of the town in the 19th century, the core of the book focuses on the previously untold story of town expansion in the 20th century, from the villas built by affluent merchants to the provision of social housing to meet the demand for good quality homes on the island.

Writer Jessie Murray said: “The research behind this project to uncover and explore the built heritage of our town has been exhaustive and we are so pleased to bring the book towards publication. The grant from PST has been vital in allowing us to print the number of copies we needed in one go and also allows us to have the book available for visitors from the Lewis diaspora who we expect to welcome this year as part of the events marking the centenary of the emigration ships of 1923.”

The book is set to be published in April and will be available from Stornoway bookshops, via the Society directly by email: info@ stornowayhistoricalsociety.org.uk) or from Stornoway Town Hall during the Stornoway Historical Society summer exhibition.