Gaelic scholars' island home reopens after major restoration
The conservation charity says it has aimed to create an atmosphere which will give visitors a sense that 'someone has just left the room', with a warm, lived-in feel throughout the house.
Gaelic song and language fill the air as audio devices are triggered when visitors move through rooms which showcase how the house would have looked in the mid-20th century, not long after the Second World War.
Extensive repairs have been made to the building, roof and windows of the house to withstand the Hebridean weather and protect its contents, which include an internationally-significant archive collection of Gaelic music, folklore and culture.
Philip Long, chief executive at the National Trust for Scotland, said: 'All of us who have a love for Canna and an appreciation of the important stories this house holds will be delighted to see the incredible condition Canna House is now in.
'Caring for these places is not an easy task, but it is an important one and our charity is privileged to play a part alongside the creative residents, skilled contractors and many others who make projects like this possible.
'I hope everyone, whether they live here, visit often or, after reading this, come for the first time, enjoy the nature, beauty and heritage of this special place.'
Mr Campbell bought the Isle of Canna and neighbouring Sanday in 1938, embracing the role of laird and farmer.
Alongside his wife, an accomplished photographer and folklorist, they created an extensive archive of Gaelic songs, stories and linguistic material.
Mr Campbell and Ms Fay Shaw lived in Canna House until their respective deaths in 1996 and 2004.
In 1981, Campbell gifted Canna to the National Trust for Scotland (supported with an endowment from the National Heritage Memorial Fund), along with the couple's vast library, archives and sound recordings.
This includes some 1,500 Gaelic folk songs and 350 folk tales, the first recordings of members of the Mi'kmaq nation and more than 5,000 photographic negatives and 25 reels of film spanning 50 years of Gaelic culture on the islands of Canna, Barra, the Uists and Mingulay.
Highlights of the collection are a Dictaphone recording machine, which Mr Campbell used to capture Gaelic speakers in the Western Isles and Cape Breton; his wife's favourite Graflex camera and the Book of Pooni, dedicated to their favourite cat.
The house recently reopened for pre-booked guided tours and the team is now looking forward to welcoming more visitors.
Operations manager Angus Murray said: 'We've worked hard to create an atmosphere that reflects Canna House in its prime — a home full of music stories, and Gaelic, just as John and Margaret would have had it.
'As a team, we are excited to share this experience with a new generation of visitors to Canna.'
The project to fully repair and refurbish Canna House cost £3.6 million.
Costs were met by the support of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, a number of reserved funds held by the National Trust for Scotland intended for conservation projects of this nature, with the balance covered through funds generated by the charity's supporters, fundraising activities and commercial profits.
Geraldine MacKinnon, speaking on behalf of the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust, said: 'The Isle of Canna Community Development Trust is pleased that Canna House has now reopened, enabling the public to access Canna House through guided tours and share the wealth of Gaelic culture it holds, along with the local historical and environmental heritage of Canna.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
13th Century Scottish castle with history of battles and curses to undergo £5mil restoration
The £5million restoration will be led by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) A striking A-listed castle in Aberdeenshire with more than 800 years of history is to undergo a major £5million restoration led by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). The ambitious conservation project of Fyvie Castle will address urgent structural concerns, including decaying stonework and damage to the ornate 16th Century finials that crown the building's turrets. The work will also breathe new life into the Old Farm complex on the estate, which is currently listed on the Buildings at Risk Register. The site is set to be transformed into a new visitor centre. Developed in collaboration with Glasgow -based Page Park architects, the refurbishment is expected to take at least a decade, with the first phase scheduled for completion by 2027. The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date back to the 13th Century, with some sources suggesting it was originally constructed in 1211 by King William the Lion. It later became a significant royal residence, hosting an open-air court of Robert the Bruce and serving as the childhood home of Charles I. Following the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, Fyvie ceased to be a royal stronghold and passed to Sir Henry Preston as a gift from Robert III. Over the centuries, the castle became home to five powerful families, Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon, and Forbes-Leith, each leaving their mark by adding a new tower. The oldest surviving addition, the Preston Tower, dates to between 1390 and 1433, while the grand Seton Tower, built in 1599, forms the main entrance and includes a dramatic wheel staircase. The Gordon Tower was added in 1777, followed by the Leith Tower in 1890. Inside, Fyvie Castle retains a rich display of heritage features, including suits of armour, historic weapons, and an extensive portrait collection featuring works by Raeburn, Batoni and Gainsborough. The grand wheel stair remains a standout feature. The castle grounds are no less impressive, featuring a landscaped estate and the adjoining Fyvie Loch, designed in the 18th century by Colonel William Gordon. A walled garden to the east continues to cultivate traditional Scottish fruits, while evidence of two earlier gardens remains on the west and south sides of the building. Fyvie has also played a role in military history. A skirmish during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms took place on the estate in 1644, when Manus O'Cahan and Montrose defeated a Covenanting force. The battlefield was officially recognised in 2011 as part of Scotland's Inventory of Historic Battlefields. In the 1650s, Anne Halkett, a notable diarist and healer, stayed at the castle, treating wounded soldiers and negotiating with Commonwealth officers during the English occupation. Industrialist Alexander Leith, later Baron Leith of Fyvie, bought the estate in 1885. His family owned the castle until it was sold to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984. Fyvie's long past has inspired numerous legends and ghost stories. In the 1920s, builders reportedly discovered the skeleton of a woman walled up in a bedroom. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. After her remains were buried, strange disturbances were said to follow, prompting the laird to have them returned to their original resting place behind the wall, after which the hauntings allegedly stopped. The castle is also said to be cursed. One tale attributes a prophecy to Thomas the Rhymer involving three "weeping stones" from the castle's boundary. The legend warns that unless all three stones are reunited, no firstborn son will inherit Fyvie. One stone remains at the castle, the second is believed to be embedded in the walls, and the third is said to lie somewhere in the river Ythan. Another story speaks of a secret room in the charter tower. Disturbing it, the curse claims, would bring death to the laird and blindness to his wife.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Is it really true that Scots speakers are poorer and less educated?
Read more On average one in six people in Scotland (16.7%) left school with no qualifications, but among those who consider themselves able to speak Scots (but not read or write it), its around one in four (24.4%). Conversely, on average one in three people (32.5%) have university degrees, but among people who consider themselves able to speak Scots, it is closer to only one in four (21.3%). We might imagine that if people from Scots-speaking households have historically been told off for speaking Scots and even in today's classrooms get marked down for writing Scots in essays and homework, they might reasonably come to the conclusion that full time education just isn't for them - even if they soldier through and make it to Edinburgh university the lecturers and students there will mock their accents. It can be seen that in general people who consider themselves able to speak Scots are disproportionately excluded or dissuaded from attaining the sort of qualifications that high-paying jobs require. When we use the census table builder to look at job seniority, we see that Scots speakers tend to be in lower paid jobs, compared to non-Scots speakers and Gaelic speakers. In a related manner we can look at the proportions of Scots speakers in different industrial sectors. The retail, manufacturing and agriculture sectors tend to have above average proportions of Scots speakers - the education, law, information, communications and publishing sectors tend to have below average proportions of Scots speakers compared to the general population. Any industry that you need a qualification to get into implicitly excludes Scots speakers. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation contains deprivation data recorded in the same data-zones as the census, so its possible to check whether Scots language ability correlates with deprivation levels. There seems to be a strong correlation with employment, income and health deprivation with areas where higher proportions of people consider themselves able to speak Scots. Whilst it's unclear whether Scots language ability causes deprivation, or deprivation causes the Scots language, the education provision might explain it all - people who would otherwise have average levels of education and qualifications are missing out because the education provision doesn't serve people from Scots-speaking households. The Scots language has been oppressed or omitted in Scottish education and society for hundreds of years, yet still about a third of people in Scotland consider themselves able to speak it. We have to recognise the material reality, it is not a language that is going to vanish any time soon. Scots speakers need to be supported to the same extent as speakers of other languages in Scotland. Read more If the average / median salary level in Scotland is about £38,000 and such earners pay £7,000 in tax and national insurance - Scots speakers in lower-paid jobs earn less than average, and pay less tax and national insurance, then there is wasted potential revenue here. If we estimate that as a minimum the "average Scots speaker" is earning the equivalent of minimum wage, about £24,000 and would then pay about £3,000 in tax and national insurance - this is £4,000 less revenue for the government (on average per person). The census reported that there are 1.5 million people who consider themselves able to speak Scots. Thus the treasury is missing out on tax and national insurance receipts of up to £6 billion per year because Scots speakers don't receive the same levels of education as non-Scots speakers. Furthermore GDP is around £21 billion smaller than it would be if Scots speakers had average earnings. But it seems odd that when there is such a strong correlation of deprivation, education and qualifications with Scots language ability, the national organisations that try to improve deprivation, education and qualifications ought to pay more attention. Chris Gilmour is a manufacturing engineer and Scots language activist. He picked up the Glasgow patter after studying and working there for a decade. Over the past five years he has engaged in linguistic research, examining the both the lexical and socio-economic aspects of the tongue, and regularly commentates on Scots issues in newsletters and on social media
Evening Standard
5 days ago
- Evening Standard
Government confirms next census will take place in 2031
Coinciding with planned censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the survey will be the 23rd to take place, having been held every decade since 1801, except in 1941 due to the Second World War.
