MACNEIL WELCOMES FUNDING FOR LEWS CASTLE and HOME FOR CHESSMEN?

Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP, Angus Brendan MacNeil, has today welcomed the announcement that funding has been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise towards the redevelopment of the Lews Castle.  The historic Stornoway landmark is owned by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and is set to be developed into a cultural and visitor destination.

Angus MacNeil said:

“This is fantastic news for the Islands; the Lews Castle is a building of tremendous potential, set as it is in the beautiful Castle Grounds in Stornoway.

“I congratulate all those involved in the project and acknowledge the great amount of work that has gone into taking the development to this stage.  This is an exciting time and I will watch with interest as the project develops and the Lews Castle once again becomes functional.

“The potential is huge. I hope that some of the Lewis Chessmen will be permanently on display in the new museum, perhaps with different individual pieces being rotated from other collections, primarily the British Museum’s collection which has been working well with the community recently.”