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Stornoway

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                   Stornoway
   Gaelic:              Steòrnabhagh
                   Location
   OS grid reference:   NB426340
                  Statistics
   Population:          5,602
                Administration
   Council area:        Na h-Eileanan Siar
   Constituent country: Scotland
   Sovereign state:     United Kingdom
                     Other
   Police force:        Northern Constabulary
   Lieutenancy area:    Western Isles
   Former county:       Ross-shire
           Post office and telephone
   Post town:           STORNOWAY
   Postal district:     HS1
   Dialling code:       01851
                   Politics
   UK Parliament:       Na h-Eileanan an Iar
   Scottish Parliament: Western Isles
   European Parliament: Scotland
        Scotland              Scotland
   Lews Castle in Stornoway
   Enlarge
   Lews Castle in Stornoway
   Boats in Stornoway
   Enlarge
   Boats in Stornoway
   Stornoway from the ferry
   Enlarge
   Stornoway from the ferry
   Another picture of Lews Castle
   Enlarge
   Another picture of Lews Castle
   Bayhead, Stornoway
   Enlarge
   Bayhead, Stornoway

   Stornoway (Steòrnabhagh in Scottish Gaelic) is a burgh on Lewis
   (Leòdhas), in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, with a population of
   approximately 5,600 people in the town itself, out of a total
   population of 26,370 for the whole of the Western Isles. It is the
   major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides and is home
   to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council). Stornoway is
   currently twinned with the much smaller Pendleton, South Carolina,
   United States of America. The civil parish of Stornoway includes the
   villages/suburbs of (among others) Sandwick, Plasterfield, Steinish,
   Laxdale, Newvalley, Newmarket and Marybank and has a population of
   approximately 12,000 .

History

   The town grew around three villages by the well-sheltered natural
   harbour which was key to the devlopment of the town.

Harbour and Maritime Industry

   Today the harbour hosts a fishing fleet (and associated shoreside
   services) somewhat reduced from its heydey, a small marina and moorings
   for pleasure craft, a small shipyard and slipway, 3 larger piers for
   commercial traffic and Stornoway Lifeboat Station, run by the RNLI and
   home to a Severn class lifeboat, Tom Sanderson. Her Majesty's
   Coastguard operates a Maritime Rescue Sub Centre from a building near
   the harbour.

   A lighthouse and large oil fabrication yard are situated on Arnish
   point at the mouth of the harbour and visually dominate the approaches.
   The yard, run by Camcal, has suffered a downturn in business from the
   North Sea oil industry and despite orders for renewable energy
   technology such as wave power machines and wind turbines remains in
   financial difficulty.

   On 31 December 1918, the Iolaire sank at the entrance of the harbour,
   one of the worst maritime disasters in Scottish or UK waters, with a
   death toll of 200 men.

Transport

   A Caledonian Macbrayne operated ferry( MV Isle of Lewis) sails from the
   harbour to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland, taking 2 hours 40
   minutes. There are an average of two return crossings a day, with an
   increase and reduction in frequency in summer and winter months
   respectively. As ferry traffic has increased, a second ship (MV
   Muirneag) now provides a single daily sailing to carry most of the
   island's articulated lorry freight. Stornoway is also the public
   transport hub of Lewis, and bus services provides links to Point, Ness,
   Back and Tolsta, Uig, the West Side, Lochs and Tarbert, Harris. These
   services are provided by the Comhairle and several private operators as
   well as some community-run organisations.

   The town of Stornoway also has an airport ( Stornoway Airport), 2 miles
   away from the town itself, and it is located next to the village of
   Melbost. From here, you can fly to Aberdeen, Benbecula, Edinburgh,
   Inverness and Glasgow, with flights from bmi, British Airways, Eastern
   Airways and Highland Airways. The airport is also the station to the HM
   Coastguard Search & Rescue Sikorsky S-61 helicooter, and was previously
   home to RAF Stornoway.

Education, Sport and Culture

   Stornoway is home to a small campus of the University of Stirling,
   teaching nursing, which is based in Ospadal nan Eilean (Western Isles
   Hospital). There is also a further education college, Lews Castle
   College, which is part of the UHI Millennium Institute, and the
   Nicolson Institute is the only six-year secondary school in Lewis, and
   has a roll of approximately 1,000 pupils. Attached to the school is the
   Ionad Spors Leòdhas (Lewis Sports Centre), an all-weather pitch and
   running track.

   Football is the most popular amateur sport and Goathill Park in the
   town hosts special matches involving select teams and visiting clubs
   and other organisations. The Lews Castle Grounds is the home of
   Stornoway Golf Club (the only 18-hole golf course in the Outer
   Hebrides) and hosts the Hebridean Celtic Festival. This 3-day festival
   attracts over 10,000 visitors during July of each year. The Royal
   National Mod has been held in Stornoway on a number of occasions, most
   recently in 2001 and 2005. Large influxes of visitors such as for these
   events can strain the town's accommodation capacity.

   The radio station Isles FM is based in Stornoway and broadcasts on
   103FM, featuring a mixture of Gaelic and English programming. It is
   also home to a studio operated by BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, and Studio
   Alba, an independent television studio from where the Gaelic TV channel
   TeleG is broadcast.

   Notable buildings in Stornoway include Stornoway Town Hall and the
   neo-gothic Lews Castle. It is also home to a new arts centre, an
   Lanntair, containing an art gallery, auditorum for film showings, music
   and other performances, a restaurant and bar. Other attractions include
   a museum and the Lewis Loom Centre.

Stornoway's Sundays

   Stornoway is known throughout Scotland for its adherence to the
   Sabbath. While some believe this to be simply a lack of amenities and
   facilities for locals and tourists, others believe it to be a vital
   aspect of island life, a link to tradition and an alternative to the
   more active lifestyle prevalent on the mainland.

   There is only one filling station (Engebret's) which opens on a Sunday
   (along with Stornoway Airport). There was much controversy to the
   opening of this filling station on Sundays, by the churches and some of
   the islanders. In the end, the station decided to stay open until 1pm,
   but this hasn't affected it's trade. There has been a traditional
   refusal to trade and travel by ferry on or off the Island on the
   Sabbath. This had been put down to the influence of the various local
   churches and the conservatism of the town's tradespeople and the local
   council. In terms of Scottish and British tradition, this particular
   example of Sunday Observance only survives in the Western Isles, where
   the Sabbath continues to be considered a day of rest.

   A recent Poll by the Hebridean newspaper suggested that 89% of
   Stornoway residents would use facilities on a Sunday if they were
   available. There would, therefore, appear to be a market for any
   business willing to take advantage of these demands for Sunday trade.

   Recent Sunday ferry sailings from North Uist to Harris and the opening
   of Stornoway Airport on Sundays are a step towards a more cosmopolitan
   approach to living the Sabbath. While some argue that it is only a
   matter of time before the majority of viable businesses are trading on
   a Sunday, many believe that to do so will lose a significant element of
   the island identity.

Famous people

Born in Stornoway

     * Angus Graham, (Aonghas Greum), a famous strong man who moved a
       boulder weighing over a tonne.
     * Astrid (band), band from the Western Isles
     * Calum Kennedy
     * Sheilagh M. Kesting, first woman minister to be nominated to be
       Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
     * Calum MacDonald, politician
     * Alexander MacKenzie, explorer, after whom the Mackenzie River in
       Canada is named
     * Anne MacKenzie, BBC anchorwoman and radio presenter
     * Alyth McCormack, Gaelic singer
     * Donald Stewart, politician
     * Hans Matheson, plays the title role in Granada's £8.5m
       serialisation of Boris Pasternak's novel, Doctor Zhivago.

Links to Stornoway

     * Angus MacAskill, the strongest man to have ever lived - born in
       Bernaray and brought up in Stornoway before emigrating to Canada
     * John Wayne, film star (real name Marion Morrison) - father, Clyde
       Leonard Morrison, had ties with Stornoway
     * Stuart Braithwaite, lead singer of Glasgow based band Mogwai -
       mother was born in Stornoway
     * Donald Trump, American billionaire - mother came from Tong, a
       village four miles out of Stornoway
     * Derick Thomson, Scottish Gaelic poet, born elsewhere in Lewis, but
       educated in Stornoway.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stornoway"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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