Weaving

Harris Tweed is a unique woollen textile, hand-woven for centuries by islanders throughout the Outer Hebrides, at their own homes.

In 1846, when Lady Dunmore, widow of the Earl of Dunmore, owner of Harris, replicated their clan tartan in Harris Tweed for her staff, this introduced the cloth to her mainland friends, beginning what we now know as the Harris Tweed Industry.

Around 1920, hand looms were replaced by the Hattersley loom, which became the workhorse of Harris Tweed production until the early 1990s when the new double-width Bonas-Griffith loom was introduced.

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Butt of Lewis Lighthouse

Designed by David Stevenson and built in 1862, the Butt of Lewis lighthouse stands at Rubha Ròbhanais, the most northerly point in the Western Isles

The Decca Station

The Decca radio navigational system for ships and aircraft became operational in its basic form in the 1940s

Fishing

The Ness fishing industry reached its peak in the 19th century. Rich fishing grounds off the Butt of Lewis yielded record catches.

Crofting

Crofting is small-scale, subsistence farming which has sustained families throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland since the 18th century