Lews Castle (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

: ''Caisteal Leòdhais'') is a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

castle located west of the town of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. It was built in the years 1844–51 as a country house for

Sir James Matheson Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 November 179631 December 1878), was a Scottish Tai-Pan. Born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, he was the son of Captain Donald Matheson. He attended Edinburgh's Royal High Sc ...

who had bought the whole island a few years previously with his fortune from the Chinese Opium trade. It was designed by the Glasgow architect Charles Wilson. In 1918, the Lews Estate, including the castle, was bought by industrialist Lord Leverhulme from the Matheson family. He gave the castle to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the Castle was taken over as accommodation for air and ground crew of 700 Naval Air Squadron, who operated a detachment of six Supermarine Walrus aircraft from a slipway at Cuddy Point in the Grounds. The base was referred to as HMS ''Mentor''. After the war, the Castle was used for accommodation for students of

Lews Castle College Lews Castle College ( gd, Colaisde a' Chaisteil , meaning literally "College of the Castle") is a further and higher education college in the Western Isles of Scotland. The main campus is in the grounds of Lews Castle, Stornoway. The College a ...

in the 1950s. After the accommodation closed, the building was left disused for several decades. The building, which is protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

, is now owned by the local council, ''

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (, for, , Scottish Gaelic, Council of the Western Isles) is the local government council for ''Na h-Eileanan Siar'' (the Outer Hebrides) council area of Scotland.

''. On 22 November 2011 Lews Castle was awarded £4.6 million by the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to enable it to be converted into a bilingual museum and cultural centre. In 2016, the ground floor of the castle reopened to the public, including a restored ballroom and a cafe. In 2017, Natural Retreats, a luxury holiday property company, opened apartments in the castle.

References

External links

Lews Castle's official website

from The Gazetteer for Scotland

from Stornoway Historical Society {{Na h-Eileanan Siar places Buildings and structures in the Isle of Lewis Castles in the Outer Hebrides Houses completed in 1857 Category A listed buildings in the Outer Hebrides Listed houses in Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Country houses in the Outer Hebrides Stornoway 1857 establishments in Scotland