Lewis Chessman

Today's the day ......................... to discover

A visit today to Lews Castle in Stornoway which has recently opened to the public after a major renovation programme.

There is now a very interesting museum with state-of-the-art displays telling the natural and social history and other aspects of the Hebrides.  It's very well done and worth spending as much time as you can spare.  The Castle itself is magnificent - and is now used as a venue for weddings, courses, meetings and the like.

This was one of the exhibits on show - some of the Lewis Chessmen - chess pieces that were found unexpectedly on a beach on Lewis in 1831. They were carved from walrus ivory and whale tooth between around 1150 and 1200. When found some were stained red, suggesting that the original colour combination of the pieces was red and white. The chess pieces were probably made in Norway. At this time the Isle of Lewis was part of the kingdom of Norway. The chess pieces may have been buried by a merchant travelling along the trade route from Scandinavia to Ireland.

A fascinating discovery . . . . . . . . . . .