Home / Arts and Entertainment / Lighthouse Mystery Site Becomes Community Hub
Lighthouse Mystery Site Becomes Community Hub
17 Dec
Summary
- Shore station linked to three vanished lighthouse keepers to be restored.
- The building will house a community space and exhibition on the tragedy.
- Holiday lets are planned for the historic An Taigh Mòr building.
An historic building on Lewis, once the shore station for the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers who vanished 125 years ago, is being revitalized as a community hub. Urras an Tighe Mhòir (UTM) has secured planning permission to restore An Taigh Mòr, a property designed by David Alan Stevenson and completed in 1899. The building's transformation will include a community space, exhibition areas focusing on the 1900 lighthouse tragedy and local history, and library facilities.
Two holiday let units are planned for the first floor, with a third to be converted from the adjacent outbuilding, known as the Bothy. These revised plans were developed after initial proposals for a contemporary extension faced local concerns. The new design reconfigures the existing structure, ensuring full accessibility with a new lift.
The mysterious disappearance of keepers Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald McArthur on December 15, 1900, has long captivated the public imagination, even inspiring films. Their last log entry that morning indicated routine duties were completed, but by midnight, a passing ship reported the lighthouse light was not visible. The restoration of their former station aims to honor this history while serving the modern community.
