Stornoway

Stornoway(/ˈstɔːrnəweɪ/;Scottish Gaelic:Steòrnabhagh[ˈʃtʲɔːrˠn̪ˠəvaɣ];Scots:Stornowa) is the main town, and by far the largest, of theOuter Hebrides(or Western Isles), and the capital ofLewis and HarrisinScotland.
The town's population is around 6,953,making it the third-largest island town in Scotland afterKirkwallinOrkneyandLerwickinShetland. The historicalcivil parishof Stornoway, which includes various nearby villages, has a combined population of just over 10,000.TheComhairle nan Eilean Siar(the Western Isles Council) measures population in a different area: theStornoway settlementarea,Laxdale,Sandwickand Newmarket; in 2019, the estimated population for this area was 6,953.
Stornoway is an important port and the administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides. It is home to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and a variety of educational, sporting and media establishments. Until relatively recently, observance of the ChristianSabbath(Sunday) has been associated with Hebridean culture. Recent changesmean that Sundayson Lewis now more closely resemble those in most parts of the Southern Isles, i.e.Benbecula,South Uist,Barra, andVatersay, and on mainland Scotland.
The town was founded byVikingsin the early 9th century,with theOld NorsenameStjórnavágr. The settlement grew up around a shelterednatural harbourand became a hub for people from all over the island, who travelled to Stornoway either by family boat or by horse-drawn coach, for onward travel to and trade with the rest of Scotland and further afield.
At some point in the mid-1500s, the already ancient MacLeod castle in Stornoway'fell victim to the cannons of the Duke of Argyle'. By the early 1600s rumbling trade wars came to a head, and all further government attempts to curtail traditional shipping rights were firmly resisted by the islanders, as was an attempt byJames VI,King of Scotland, to establish on the island the Scottish trading company known as theFife Adventurersaround 1598.As a result, James VI transferred Lewis to theMacKenzies of Seaforthin 1610.
In 1844, the MacKenzies sold Stornoway, and the Isle of Lewis as a whole, toSir James Matheson. He and his descendants built the presentLews Castleon a hill overlooking the bay of Stornoway.Fragmentary ruins of the old Stornoway Castlehad survived in the bay until that time, and can even be seen in Victorian photographs,but Matheson destroyed them in 1882, in order to expand the harbour; a few remains of Stornoway Castle still remain, hidden beneath pier number 1, close to the shore, slightly west of centre. By 1863, the town had become apolice burgh.
In 1918, Matheson's great-nephew sold the island toWilliam Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme. Lord Leverhulme held the island for a short time. His economic plans for the island (together with various business setbacks) overstretched his finances. Faced with failure in Lewis, he gave Stornoway parish to the people of the town. The Stornoway Trust was formed and continues to administer the parish.
DuringWorld War IIthe Stornoway aerodrome was used by the military, and the town was a base for anti-submarine planes and a fuelling station for other aircraft. The castle was used as a hospital and living quarters for the personnel of700 Naval Air Squadron. Between 1986 and 1993, the airport was employed as a "NATOForward Operating Base for Air Defence aircraft protecting the fleet" for six weeks each year.
Stornoway Town Hallwas officially re-opened for community use in March 2012.
The Isle of Lewis web site states that the town's "economy is a mix of traditional businesses like fishing, Harris Tweed and farming, with more recent influences like Tourism, the oil industry and commerce". The sheltered harbour has been important for centuries; it was named Steering Bay byVikingswho often visited.
A 2018 report states that the fishing industry's primary focus is on aquaculture (fish farming). A conventional fishery still existed, "composed solely of inshore shellfish vessels targeting prawns, crabs and lobsters around the islands and throughout the Minch".
On 1 January 1919,Iolairesank at the entrance of the harbour, one of theworst maritime disastersin Scottish orUKwaters, with a death toll of 205 men,who were returning home fromWorld War I.
Today,the harbour hosts a fishing fleet (and associated shoreside services) somewhat reduced from its heyday, a small marina and moorings for pleasure craft, a small shipyard and slipway, three larger piers for commercial traffic and Stornoway Lifeboat Station, run by theRNLIand home to aSevern-class lifeboat,Tom Sanderson.His Majesty's Coastguardoperates a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre from a building near the harbour.
A lighthouse, seaweed processing plant and a renewable energy manufacturing yard are situated on Arnish Point at the mouth of the harbour and visually dominate the approaches. Arnish Point isalso proposed byAMECas the landfall for its proposed private sub-sea cable which would export the electricity generated from the Lewis Windpowerwind farm. A planning application for 181 turbines was submitted to the Scottish Executive; but in 2008, the Scottish Government rejected the plans.
Since then Lewis Windpower has obtained planning consent for a maximum of 36 wind turbines to be sited to the west of Stornoway on land held by community-owned Stornoway Trust Estate.
The Arnish area was also surveyed bySSEfor a secondsub-sea cable, but lost out in favour ofGravirto the south as the preferred site. SSE preferred Arnish Point as of 2016. The manufacturing yard was originally established in the 1970s as a fabrication plant for the oil industry, but suffered regular boom and bust cycles. The downturn in business from theNorth Sea oilindustry in recent years led to a move away from serving this market. The yard is now proposed as a key business in the development of the whole Arnish Point industrial estate and has received large amounts of funding in recent years.
In 2007, the Arnish yard was taken over by its third tenant in as many years. Cambrian Engineering fell into liquidation as did Aberdeen-owned Camcal Ltd with relatively large-scale redundancies. Both firms were affected by the absence of a regular stream of orders and left a chain of large debts impacting upon local suppliers. Altissimo Ltd is a new firm backed by a group of Swiss and Dutch investors, and has purchased the Camcal name from the previous operator.In December 2007, the yard won a contract to construct 49 towers forwind turbinesinTurkey. This will ensure employment for around 70 employees for over six months.
As of 2021, the yard is now operated byHarland and Wolff.
In September 2020, Stornoway Port Authority announced that development of a new £49 million deep water terminal was to go ahead following the approval of marine licences byMarine Scotland.
The new multi-purpose terminal will provide berthing for vessels up to 360m long with a water depth of 10m belowChart datum, a ferry berth, and 6.5 hectares of land for unloading, storage and industrial uses.
In April 2022, Stornoway Port Authority announced they had signed a £49 million construction contractfor their new Deep Water Terminal. The contract was awarded to building and civil engineering firm McLaughlin and Harvey. Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
The UK's largest community-owned wind farm, the 9 MW Beinn Ghrideag, is located outside Stornoway and is operated by Point and Sandwick Trust (PST).In February 2021, that organisation was shortlisted for the title of Best Community Energy Project at the Scottish Highlands and Islands Renewable Energy Awards. A February 2021 report stated that this operation "already has a number of awards and multiple nominations".Point and Sandwick Trust helps fund community activities "because of the revenue created at our wind farm, Beinn Ghrideag. The 3 turbine, 9 MW scheme is built on common grazings land on the Isle of Lewis".
Like much of the British Isles, Stornoway has anoceanic climate, with relatively little variation of temperature and damp conditions throughout the year.Winters are exceptionally mild for such a northerly location; average nighttime low temperatures in January and February, the coldest months, are above 2 °C (36 °F), while daytime high temperatures average about 7 °C (45 °F). Summers are cool, due to influence from theAtlantic Ocean; average daytime high temperatures in July and August are just over 16 °C (61 °F). Precipitation falls mostly as rain (though snow occasionally falls in winter), and October through January are the wettest months due to frequent, sometimes intense storms from the North Atlantic, which can bring heavy rain and high winds. April through July represents a markedly drier season, when storm frequency and intensity diminish markedly. June is the driest month in Stornoway, averaging 64.5 mm (2.54 in) of precipitation, while January is the wettest month, averaging 145.3 mm (5.72 in).
A quirk of the climate on Stornoway and the Isle of Harris more widely is that it records the highest frequency of hail in the UK, with 30 or more days per year of measurable hail falling.
TheCaledonian MacBrayne-operated ferryMVLoch Seaforthhas been sailing since 2015, from Stornoway harbour toUllapoolon the Scottish mainland, taking 2 hours 30 minutes. There are an average of two return crossings a day: more in summer than in winter. The former main ship on the route,MVIsle of Lewis(1995), used to carry the freight crossing; however, she has now been reassigned elsewhere by CalMac.This means that MVLoch Seaforthis often heavily congested, particularly during the summer months.
The idea of an undersea tunnellinking Lewis andHarristo the Scottish mainland was suggested in early 2007. One of the possible routes, between Stornoway and Ullapool, would be over 40 miles (65 km) long: the longest road tunnel in the world.
Stornoway is the hub of bus routes in Lewis: buses run toPoint,Ness,BackandTolsta,Uig, theWest Side, Lochs andTarbert, Harris. These buses are operated byComhairle nan Eilean Siarand several private operators.
Stornoway Airportis located next to the village ofMelbost, 2 miles (3 km) east of the town; there are flights toEdinburgh,InvernessandGlasgow, all operated byLoganair.andBenbeculaoperated byHebridean Air Services. The airport is also the base of anHM CoastguardSearch & RescueSikorsky S-92helicopter, and was previously home toRAF Stornoway. In 1898, theHebridean Light Railway Companywas proposed, with a terminus at Stornoway, but the line was never constructed.
Cruise ships visit the town and anchor in the bay, with passengers coming ashore on tenders.
Stornoway is home to theNicolson Institute: founded in 1873, it is the largest school in theWestern Islesand the onlysecondary schoolin Lewis, providing a six-year course. It has a roll of around 1,000 pupils. After a two-year rebuilding project costing £29 million, the new school building was formally opened in October 2012.
Primary education in Stornoway is in Stornoway Primary School, which opened in August 1969. The school is on Jamieson Drive and has around 400 pupils. The head teacher is Annette Murray.
There is a further education college,Lews Castle College, which was founded in 1953 and is now part of theUniversity of the Highlands and Islands. Lews Castle College runs over 140 courses and has around 2700 students.
There is also a small campus of theUniversity of Stirlingin Stornoway, teaching nursing, based in theWestern Isles Hospital. It provides undergraduate degree programmes for adult nursing and supports postgraduate students, who can choose from various higher-level courses.
Footballis the most popular amateur sport and Goathill Park is the home ground of Stornoway United, with a capacity of 1,000.Stornoway United play in theLewis and Harris Football League.
Shintyis making a resurgence thanks to theLewis Camanachdteam, who are based in the town.Rugby Unionis also popular, andStornoway RFCmen's and women's teams compete regularly in national leagues and cups.
The town also has a very popular gymnastics group, which competes annually in sports festivals.Stornoway Golf Club, the only 18-hole golf course in the Outer Hebrides, is set in the undulating slopes of the Lews Castle Grounds.
Very near to the Nicolson Institute is the Lewis Sports Centre (Ionad Spors Leòdhas), which has a sports hall, fitness suite, climbing wall, swimming pool and various other facilities. It has a running track and anAstroTurffootball pitch. There is also the Stornoway Karate Club, a member of the International Japan Karate Association.
According to the 2011Census, there are 5,492Scottish Gaelicspeakers (43%) in the greater Stornoway area.
The annualHebridean Celtic Festivalis a 4-day community-led festival which attracts over 10,000 visitors each July. TheRoyal National Mòdhas been held in Stornoway on a number of occasions, most recently in 2005, 2011 and 2016.Large influxes of visitors such as for these events can strain the town's accommodation capacity.
Stornoway is a sister town ofPendleton, inAnderson County, South Carolina, United States.
An Lanntair(The Lantern) is a multi-purposearts centreon Stornoway's seafront.The purpose-built facility opened in October 2005. The arts centre was previously housed upstairs inStornoway Town Hall.
The venue comprises an art gallery, theatre, cinema, dance studio and concert hall, and acts as a performance space for poetry and literature.
An Taigh Cèilidh
An Taigh Cèilidh (The Cèilidh House or The Visiting House) is a non-profit Gaelic language centre and community café on Church Street in Stornoway town centre. Events that focus on Gaelic language and culture are held in the multipurpose space.
The radio stationIsles FMis based in Stornoway and broadcasts on 103FM, featuring a mixture ofGaelicand English programming. It is also home to a studio operated byBBC Radio nan Gàidheal. The Gaelic-language public service broadcasterBBC Alba, launched on 19 September 2008, is based in Stornoway, as was the defunct like-mindedTeleGthat operated between 1999 and 2011, contributing £2.5 million to the city's economy when it was on air.
Stornoway Library in Cromwell Street opens four days a week. It offers book borrowing services, free access toWi-Fi, and computer access to the internet.
As part of its collections, the library offers access to a wide range of Gaelic materials, with a large collection of books and periodicals such asGairm, Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Scottish Gaelic Studies and Guth, as well as out of print publicationsAn GaidhealandGuth na Bliadhna. In their newspaper section, the library holds copies of Alba andMac-Tallaas well as Sruth, Scotland's only bilingual newspaper from the 1960s. Through the library membership, it is also possible to access An Stòr-dàta Stuthan Gàidhlig, a database of Gaelic educational resources.
Stornoway Library also holds an extensive local studies collection for research purposes. As part of those collections, the library holds an archive of local newspaper back editions including theStornoway Gazettefrom 1917, the Highland News from 1883, theWest Highland Free Pressfrom 1972, theOban Timesfrom 1861, theInverness Courierfrom 1817, the Inverness Advertiser from 1849 and the Inverness Courier and Advertiser from 1885. Other resources include a collection ofOrdnance Surveymaps and Admiralty charts for the local area, old parochial registers, 19th century Census returns, minutes of the former Stornoway Town Council as well as currentComhairle nan Eilean Siarand school log books. The library also holds the Seaforth Muniments (Seaforth Estate Papers), localcrofthistories and rental and valuation rolls dated as far back as the 18th century.
In 2018, Stornoway Library announced plans to transform their coffee shop into amakerspaceavailable to the general public where they run educational activities on topics including 3D printing and virtual reality.
The main local newspapers based in Stornoway are theStornoway Gazette, and EVENTS.
The Stornoway Media Centre is the base for Intermedia Services Ltd. and its various titles, including the free monthly magazine, EVENTS, founded in 2005.
The company was formerly based in Rigs Road but took over a converted church on James Street.  ND Macleod's Electrical had formerly occupied the building for many years.
The Church House building, originally a United Presbyterian church dating back to the late 19th century, is now a media hub that spans print, websites, advertising, and latterly signage.
Stornoway black pudding(Scots Gaelic- marag dhubh) is a gourmetblack pudding, and was grantedPGIstatus in 2013 by theEuropean Commissionto prevent inferior puddings produced elsewhere being marketed as "Stornoway" or "Stornoway Style".
Stornoway kippersandStornoway smoked salmonare produced in town. They have one of the last working brick kilns in the UK, at the establishment of Stornoway Fish Smokers, Shell Street.
Notable buildings in Stornoway include:
Stornoway became immortalised in the song "Lovely Stornoway" byCalum Kennedyand Bob Halfin, the song has recently been covered in by Hebridean rock bandPeat and Diesel.
The4AD Recordsfolk-rock bandStornowaytook their name from the town, after seeing it on the BBC weather report.They signed their record deal outside the Woodlands Centre in Lews Castle Grounds, Stornoway, after performing in the town for the first time in April 2010. Their second concert there was as headliners on the main stage of theHebridean Celtic Festivalon 13 July 2011.
"Stornoway" is the name of theofficial residenceof theLeader of the OppositioninCanada's Parliament. It was built in 1913 by wholesale grocery magnate Ascanio Joseph Major. He commissioned architect Alan Keefer to design this 'country house'. Stornoway was bought by the local Perley-Robertson family in 1923 and they extended the property over the next few years.
The novelThe Stornoway Wayby LewismanKevin MacNeiltells of one man's attempts to escape his hometown. The novel was later adapted for the stage and premiered at An Lanntair, Stornoway on 30 August 2019.
RAF Stornowayis featured in theTom ClancynovelRed Storm Risingas a base for Allied air operations over the North Atlantic and againstSoviet-heldIceland.
In the motion pictureLatitude ZerobyToho Productions(1969), Stornoway Harbour is featured on a wall plaque as the construction site of the submarine "Alpha".
In 2007, British car manufacturerLand RoverintroducedStornoway Greyas a colour choice for its vehicle line-up.  In response, Stornoway's councillor Angus Nicolson appealed to Land Rover to relabel the colour asSilvery Stornoway, fearing that the association ofgreywithdullandboringwould hurt the image of the town with tourists. Mr Nicolson said: "This is deeply insulting and is offensive, inaccurate and inherently degrading. This will hit tourism as it subliminally implants adverse connotations in the minds of those who have never experienced the reality of these beautiful islands."Land Rover replied that the colour in question is one of the most popular ones and the use of Stornoway in its name will instead "keep it on the map".
In 2011, Scottish authorPeter MaypublishedThe Blackhouse, the first of The Lewis Trilogy of thrillers based onLewis, where the primary police murder investigation is based in Stornoway.
Stornoway has several churches of various Christian and non Christian denominations. The parish church was built in 1794.
In May 2018, the firstmosqueof the Western Isles opened to serve a smallMuslimpopulation.