To start our second day we headed west to Callanish (Calanais in Gaelic) to visit the Calanais Standing Stones. The standing stones are one of Scotland’s most magnificent and best preserved Neolithic monuments.
The Calanais Standing Stones are an extraordinary cross-shaped setting of stones erected 5,000 years ago. They predate the famous Stonehenge monument and are believed to have been an important place for ritual activity for 2,000 years.
It is not known why the standing stones at Calanais were erected but one theory is that they were a kind of astronomical observatory. As with many of these Neolithic monuments we will probably never be able to know what was in the mind of their builders.
Our next visit was to the Bostadh Iron Age Village on the island of Great Bernera. Bostadh means farm in Old Norse. The story of the site tells that during a severe storm in 1992, the stone walls of an ancient village were exposed that had lain hidden under the sand dunes of Bosta Beach for hundreds of years.
In 1996, the site was excavated to reveal a well-preserved settlement of houses that dated back to the Late Iron Age (or Pictish Age) of 400-800AD. Located in a small valley with streams, a beach and rich fishing waters it would have made a perfect home for these early people.
The excavation was recorded in detail and the footprint of the village was laid out. However, the vulnerable structures themselves could not be preserved due to the process of erosion and sand build up. Therefore, they again lay underneath the sand and a life-size construction of a period home was made as we see in the photos above.
We then drove back to Stornoway for a visit to Lews Castle that sat on the other side of the water from our hotel.
In 1844 wealthy businessman James Matheson, a Scottish Opium Trader and co-founder with William Jardine of the Hong Kong based trading conglomerate Jardine Matheson & Co, bought the Island of Lewis for more than £190,000 from the bankrupt estate of the Mackenzies of Seaforth. Shortly afterwards he demolished Seaforth Lodge, the dilapidated home of the Mackenzies, taking on Glasgow architect Charles Wilson to design him a magnificent new island base – Lews Castle. A building this grand needed grounds to match and Matheson completely reshaped the landscape around his new home.
Matheson funded his grand scheme with a fortune that he had amassed following the first Opium War with China. To expand his business interests he had helped to persuade the British Government to wage war on China which had rejected proposals to legalise opium as it had become a problem for their people. The British Government used its naval power to defeat the Chinese in the first Opium War of 1839-42. This enable Matheson to expand his business empire into mainland China.
That said, Matheson provided employment, funded famine relief and engaged in many other social and economic projects to the benefit of the islands community, spending some £320,000 in 1850 (roughly £36 million today)
Lews Castle these days provides luxury accommodation, is a wedding venue, has a museum, cafe and shops and one can stroll around the extensive gardens.
After a short walk back to our hotel, we again visited the Boatshed restaurant, part of the Royal Hotel, for an excellent dinner.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2024