Box of slate pencils.
Plywood box covered with purple paper except on the lid which is illustrated in colour with a Union Jack and scenes from the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo. Contains four slate pencils. Trademark `The Box`, made in Germany.
Block forming part of pulley found in Hynish.
Block forming part of pulley found in a shed opposite Milton House in Hynish by Patrick Lorimer.
Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Photograph of Lachlan MacPhail carting seaweed
Courtesy of Mr Ailig MacArthur
Lachlan MacPhail, originally from Luing, is pictured with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol. A fork has been stuck in the back of the cart to stop the seaweed slipping off.
Gathered from March to May, the seaweed is spread on grass or on ground to be planted with corn or potatoes. Red seaweed known as ‘bàrr-dearg’ was considered the best for this purpose but only came ashore on certain tides usually in the month of May.
The soils of Tiree are predominantly light and sandy and need feeding with organic matter every year to keep their fertility. Although not considered as good a fertiliser as manure, seaweed improves the condition of the soil and aids water retention.
Black and white photograph of Lachlann MacPhail, Crossapol.
Lachlan MacPhail from Luing with a cartload of seaweed outside the shepherd’s cottage where he lived in Crossapol, Tiree, probably taken in the early 20th century.
Black and white photograph of Scarinish harbour.
Scarinish harbour with the Mary Stewart, probably taken in the 1930s. The building in the background was originally built as a church, then used intermittently as a prison and latterly as a store by the owners of the Mary Stewart. It was pulled down to make roads during World War II.
The ‘Mary Stewart’ in Scarinish harbour in the 1930s
Photograph of the schooner ‘Mary Stewart’ in Scarinish harbour in the 1930s.
Courtesy of Mrs Netta Martin
Taken in the early 1930s, this view of Scarinish harbour shows the topsail schooner ‘Mary Stewart’ in her final resting place. For the previous thirty years she had traded up and down the west coast carrying coal and other cargo.
Also anchored in the harbour are two lobster boats. Commercial lobster fishing began on Tiree after 1880 when the railway to Oban was opened, allowing shellfish to be sent live to the London markets for the first time.
Said to have been originally built as a church, the building in the background was used as a store by the owners of the ‘Mary Stewart’. It was pulled down to make the road to the pier during World War II.
Black and white photograph of Scarinish harbour.
Scarinish harbour with the Mary Stewart, probably taken in the 1930s. The building in the background was originally built as a church, then used intermittently as a prison and latterly as a store by the owners of the Mary Stewart. It was pulled down to make roads during World War II.
Black and white photograph of a collier on the beach at Brock.
Photograph from a small album from Silversands, Vaul, titled `Collier on the beach at Brock` of a puffer waiting to discharge coal into horse-drawn carts, probably taken in the late 1920s to early 1930s. For additional information see catalogue for 1997.176.7.