Lottery cash will breathe new life into Stornoway's Lews Castle

IN ITS 156-year history it has been the home of a drugs baron, a wartime naval hospital and a college. Now, one of the grandest castles on a Scottish island has received a lottery windfall to help turn it into a museum and hotel.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) today confirmed it has awarded development funding of 240,000 to Lews Castle (pictured), which commands a prominent position overlooking Stornoway.

The 19th century A-listed landmark – currently vacant and on the Buildings at Risk Register – has also been given a "first round pass" for a 2.6 million HLF grant.

This is an endorsement of outline proposals, and the project now has up to two years to submit a fully-developed plan to compete for a firm award.

It is planned to develop a new museum for the islands as well as an upmarket hotel and function space in the castle, costing up to 10m.

Last year there was speculation that Donald Trump would invest in the project. The US property tycoon visited Lewis, where his mother Mary lived, while promoting his 1 billion golf course development in Aberdeenshire.

Representatives from Western Isles Council met George Sorial, from the Trump Organisation, who said the "site is beautiful and the project has great merit", but no deal was done.

Colin McLean, head of the HLF in Scotland, said: "This project has the potential to make a real difference to the economy of Lewis and indeed the Western Isles through job creation and tourism.

"Breathing new life into this magnificent castle will breathe new life into Stornoway itself, and provide support to the network of heritage societies and local museums that exist across the Hebrides."

Angus Campbell, the council leader and chairman of the Lews Castle Trust Steering Group, said: "It is gratifying that in a very competitive funding environment HLF have seen the value and the potential of restoring Lews Castle, bringing it back to life and making it accessible to everyone."

The castle was built for just 60,000 by Sir James Matheson who made his fortune from the Chinese opium trade.

Lord Leverhulme, who built up the Lever Bros/Unilever conglomerate, bought Lewis in 1918 and Harris a year later.

In 1923 he gifted the castle and 64,000 acres of land to the local people and the Stornoway Trust was established to manage the estate on behalf of the community.

During the Second World War the building was requisitioned by the Admiralty and used as a naval hospital.

In the early 1950s, the trust sold the castle to the former Ross and Cromarty County Council and in 1953, the building became the first home for Lews Castle College. It continued to be used for educational purposes until 1988 but has been largely unused since the early 1990s.