War Memorial, Lews Castle, and the Lewis Chessmen
We visited the War Memorial above Lews Castle and the parkland around it on a windy day.
After a good push up the hill, we visited the museum that contains historical displays relating to early life on Lewis. The museum also contains many of the Lewis Chessmen, ancient Scandinavian chess pieces found buried on Lewis. Their reputation suggests they are large and heavy. Instead, they are small but impressively evocative.
The museum’s collection of Lewis Chessmen is remarkable. Their expressions and carved details are vivid despite their small size, and seeing them in person gives a sense of the long Scandinavian influence on the Outer Hebrides.
