Publication Account

Date 1997

Event ID 1019337

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1019337

Lews Castle figure 14 was built in 1848 for the Mathesons on the site of the former Seaforth Lodge figure 8. It is one of the grandest of the few standing mansions in the Western Isles. A design of Charles Wilson of Glasgow, it consists of a three-storeyed main block with battlemented towers, the central tower functioning as a heating duct. Seaforth Lodge was demolished and the tenants cleared from the grounds. Evidence of this little known settlement, and indeed Seaforth Lodge itself, may survive here below ground or, in the case of the lodge, possibly incorporated into the fabric of the castle. Any building works within the castle may reveal traces of the earlier lodge, and landscaping and the insertion of new services may uncover remains of the former settlement in the grounds. The recent discovery of a Norse silver hoard in the grounds of Lews Castle suggests that other Norse remains may be discovered by chance during works in this area.

Information from ‘Historic Stornoway: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1997).