Myths of Cairn na Burgh
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Treshnish Isles Visitor Safety
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| The medieval castle on Cairn na Burgh More
is of considerable national importance and may be scheduled
as an ancient monument in the near future |
Now recognised as gems for their natural heritage, rumour and
myth have long held that the Treshnish
Isles are hiding other treasures. Legend has it that sacred
relics and manuscripts were secreted on one of the Cairn na Burgh
islands at the northern extreme of the Treshnish
Isles by monks from Iona Abbey. Standing guard over the inner
sound between Coll and Tiree and the Isle of Mull, the steep-sided
plateaux once served as an impregnable fortress, surrounded as
they are today by dangerous tidal streams.
Occupants including the Lord of the Isles, the clan MacLean and
government forces have fortified their natural parapets. The fortifications
now visible probably date from the time of the Civil War (17th
Century). Certainly the long and colourful history of these islands
suggests it would be worthwhile conducting further archaeological
studies. The Hebridean Trust aims to carry
out a standing building survey and detailed assessment of the
archaeological potential and survival of deposits as recommended
by Robin Turner, chief archaeologist of The National Trust for
Scotland, following his visit in June 2000.
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Following increasing concerns about the dangers of uninhabited
islands such as Lunga The Hebridean Trust
will implement safety signs this year.
We hope these signs will encourage people to be careful and
not take unnecessary risks.
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| Some of the birds of Lunga |
The bird colonies on Lunga, which include burrowing puffins
and large numbers of guillemots and razorbills, are a great
attraction during the nesting season between May and July.
A number of local boat operators run trips to the islands,
which are often combined with a visit to the world famous site
of Fingal's Cave on the nearby island of Staffa.
See further details
of the work on the Treshnish Isles
in our main Hebridean Trust web site.
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A Growing Community at Hynish
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| The restored lightkeeper's cottages
at Upper Square, Hynish, provide homes for island families |
Restoration work to the old Lighthouse Keepers' Cottages funded
with assistance from The Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland,
Argyll and Bute Council and grant making trusts was completed in
September 2002 and families moved in to the four cottages on 1st
October. Hynish now represents a significant
and growing community on Tiree. The two
new babies that arrived just a few months after the new tenants
moved in, including the first home birth in Hynish for over 50 years,
are a symbol of hope for the future of the island. A consultation
meeting with the tenants in November was a forum for residents of
Hynish to express their ideas and an opportunity for us to present
proposals for further development of the historic shorestation.
Many visitors are attracted to Hynish by the remarkable story of
the construction of Skerryvore Lighthouse
told in the Signal Tower museum. For 17 years this spiral staircased
tower has claimed the title of "smallest museum in the world".
Display panels and exhibits, including the ¼ ton bronze fog
bell from the lighthouse, give visitors a sense of the enormous
task faced by the lighthouse builders.
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Far from seeing tourists as a nuisance, people living at Hynish
welcomed The Hebridean Trust proposals
to provide better facilities for visitors. These include a renewed
exhibition (accessible to all at ground level), a heritage trail,
disabled toilets and parking facilities.
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| The Signal Tower museum at the
opening in 1984 |
Comments that a number of visitors seemed to wander around forlornly
looking for the museum reinforced the case for better signs as
well as the need to explain the role of Hynish in the construction
of the lighthouse on a reef, sometimes barely visible, 10½
nautical miles out to sea. Ideas for further improvements include
a children's play area and picnic area to be provided as part
of general improvements to the public areas.
These ideas will be taken on board in the next phase of development
at Hynish. The idea of consultation is not just limited to meetings
and we welcome comments or ideas on current and future projects
at any time.
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Plans to Restore Stevenson's
Harbour
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When the Duke of Argyll transferred the buildings at Hynish to
The Hebridean Trust, he made possible the changes that have taken
place over the last 20 years. At the heart of these buildings lies
a unique piece of industrial heritage, disused for many years.
A harbour, with a unique fresh water flushing system provided by
a reservoir, sluices and double stop-boom gates, was designed to
provide a safe haven for the lighthouse tender from the full force
of the Atlantic Ocean.
Hebridean Trust proposals to restore the harbour, which is now
disused and heavily silted, have attracted interest from Historic
Scotland and other organisations. We are currently producing a document
to demonstrate the value of regenerating the harbour and secure
the necessary funding.
Works will include repairs to the reservoir sluice mechanism, installation
of a crane and new stop-booms as well as iron and masonry work on
the harbour and pier. Operation of the sluices to maintain the harbour
clear of sand and communication with incoming vessels will require
the creation of a permanent post of Harbour Master.
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| The unique 19th century harbour
at Hynish was built to help construct and service the Skerryvore
Lighthouse |
Tiree is an island with poor facilities
for visiting boats and the business plan will include a measure
of the level of interest from the yachting and leisure boating community.
The local fishing fleet will also be consulted.
The spectacle of the working harbour will attract more visitors
to Hynish and the plan will include details of how economic benefit
will be derived from this. Whilst we prepare our proposals we would
welcome any thoughts or suggestions you may have on the future use
of the harbour at Hynish.
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Hynish Centre News
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Last year over 200 disadvantaged children from the inner
cities of England and Scotland enjoyed holidays on Tiree.
We are aiming to surpass that this year. To help us subsidise
holidays for these groups we need the support of visitors throughout
the year.
The key to marketing Tiree as a tourist
destination has always been to try to extend the season. We
are very pleased to report that this year The
Hynish Centre has many bookings for April and October, usually
quiet months.
Bookings are looking very healthy throughout the summer but
if you want to check for yourselves or are thinking of doing
a last minute booking, then you should look no further than
our new online booking pages at www.hynishcentre.co.uk.
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After a year of development, the system went live in March and
has already produced a shower of online booking requests. Visitors
to the web site
can view days that have been reserved and confirmed and can make
automated reservations on unreserved dates. We are also happy
to speak to you in person about your holiday group needs on 01879
220726 or 01865 311468. Tiree also enjoys many sunny days during
the winter, and the peace and quiet on the island at this time
is so relaxing, so why not start thinking about your Christmas
and New Year break on Tiree?
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| Both Morton Boyd House, above,
and Alan Stevenson House offer comfortable and relaxing accomodation
for a memorable stay on Tiree |
For more information
on Tiree and the Hynish
Centre please send us your address - we will send
you a copy of our full colour Tiree Brochure.
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Bob Reekie Appointed Curatorial Advisor to
the Hebridean Trust
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| Bob Reekie, Curaturial Advisor to the Hebridean
Trust |
Bob Reekie has been appointed Curatorial Adviser to the
Hebridean Trust
His extensive museum experience, including many years working at
the National Museum of Scotland, and particularly his interest in
geology, will help us to develop interpretation at Hynish Shorestation
as well as providing curatorial input to help with the presentation
and conservation of exhibits at The Sandaig Island Life Museum.
Bob has already been helping out with the Hynish story and in recent
days is likely to be found somewhere between the Royal Commission
for Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland and the National
Library, frantically tracking down source materials relating to
the building of Skerryvore Lighthouse.
We understand that considerable progress has been made and look
forward to bringing you further news of our proposed interpretation
project at Hynish.
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A new roof for Sandaig Museum
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Our new thatcher, Neil MacKinnon, has now completed work to the
barn at Sandaig Island Life Museum, well
in time for the opening of the museum this Easter holiday. I met
with Neil in March and we discussed the inherent problems with thatching
the restored cottage including the shortage of suitable marram grass
on Tiree. Traditional thatching skills are dying out on the island
and recently people have gone to the extent of bringing over teams
from the mainland and other parts of the Hebrides to maintain the
dozen or so surviving thatched cottages.
We are very fortunate to have found Neil, who was born and bred
on Tiree and has learned expert knowledge from his predecessors.
In just a few minutes speaking to him I gained an insight into traditional
thatching, including the need to use heather turfs to line the roof
timbers, the correct positioning of the stones which strengthen
the roof against strong winds, and the almost domed shape which
is the ideal for a Tiree thatched roof.
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| With a newly thatched roof, volunteers at Sandaig
Museum including Aneen Black, Mairi Davis, Jan Hunter and Charlie
MacLeish are looking forward to another busy season in 2003 |
The Sandaig Island Life Museum is home
to an eclectic collection of artefacts from Tiree's past and, with
the help of local interpretation from our museum volunteers, the
museum gives a taste of the hardship, resourcefulness and resilience
of the people of Tiree over the years.
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Additional Work for the St. Eward's Centre
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| Many of the original features of St Edward's
have been preserved |
The St Edward's Centre, created from the
converted Bute family chapel on the Isle of Sanday, Canna, includes
a wonderfully redesigned interior, preserving the original features
of the grade B listed building and providing workspace and accommodation
for up to 12 students or other visiting groups. Building works began
in June 1999, set back by the lightning strike, which tore the roof
off the tower in January of that year. Following completion of the
majority of the works, the building had another surprise in store
for us when defects in the fabric of the external walls led to serious
flooding and internal damage.
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Finding a resolution to this problem has been a long journey and
the Trust's resources have been very heavily stretched. We are now
close to an agreement with the architects and contractors to resolve
the problem this summer. The proposal is to carry out additional
deep pointing works and implement a moisture management plan. A
clerk of works with extensive experience in lime pointing will ensure
the quality of work on this difficult site and advice is being sought
from The Scottish Lime Centre.
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| Bill Revie from CMC Ltd checks the pointing
at the St Edward's Centre |
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Penfriends
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Thanks to our website we are able to bring news of The Hebridean
Trust's work to people all over the world.
An increasing number of people are writing to us from the United
States and Australia and we now have a number of overseas members
of the Friends of The Hebridean Trust.
It goes to show that where there is a link to a particular Hebridean
island, there is a community of people in the outside world with
a great interest in the Hebrides. We have had requests from ladies
in mainland Australia and Tasmania who would like to strengthen
their link to the Hebridean islands by corresponding with residents
or anyone who is involved in the islands.
Jennifer Hemsley, who loves the Hebrides, wrote to us recently
telling of how she uprooted from a mining village in Nottinghamshire
to the distant island of Tasmania in 1962, looking for a better
lifestyle.
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She described how her view of Tasmania has changed over the years
as it has become developed and lost its uniqueness. A recent drought
has parched the island and she is missing the green land of her
birth.
Margarite is an Australian with paternal forebears from the Inner
(and possibly outer) Hebrides. Her family emigrated in the early
1900s and, inspired by two visits more than 20 years ago, she has
taken an interest in the history, wildlife and customs of the Islands.
If you are interested in sharing your experiences of island life
with a pen friend from the other side of the world please contact
us initially with email or postal address details which we will
pass on for you. If you have a friend overseas to whom you would
like to gift membership of Friends of The Hebridean Trust, please
get in touch with us. Overseas memberships are £19 annual
or £150 life membership to take account of the additional
postage costs.
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This newsletter includes
photographs courtesy of Michael Stanfield, ARP Lorimer and
Associates, Ian Rees, Neil MacKinnon and JLM CDR
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For more information
on Tiree and the Hynish
Centre please send us your address - we will send
you a copy of our full colour Tiree Brochure.
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Join the Friends of the Hebridean Trust
We need your support! We invite you to join the Friends of The
Hebridean Trust where you will be helping us to conserve the unique
Hebridean way of life and environment. Your membership
or donation can help develop new projects, to ensure future
generations will continue to enjoy a rich and varied experience
of life in the Hebrides.
See our pages on membership
and learn more about the other ways you can
help the Hebridean Trust.
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The Hebridean Trust
North Parade Chambers
75a Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 6PE
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Email: info@hebrideantrust.org
Tel/Fax: 01865 311468
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