Plans to build a world class visitors’ centre telling the story of St Kilda have taken a vital step forward – on the 85th anniversary of the evacuation of the isolated archipelago.
The facility, proposed for Mangersta in Uig on Lewis, could attract thousands of visitors each year.
St Kilda, which lies 41 miles off the Outer Hebrides, is one of only 28 out of 1,000 sites throughout the world which has dual world heritage status. St Kilda is the only one in the UK.
The history and heritage of the archipelago continues to fascinate, but access is difficult and boat trips are often cancelled due to rough seas.
Now a site at Mangersta has been acquired and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has given funding for a detailed brief for the centre.
The project is being led by a community group with the Gaelic name of Ionad Hiort – St Kilda Centre group – which has explored potential markets as well as content and interpretation with a team from the Glasgow School of Art.
Iain Buchanan, chairman of the Ionad Hiort steering group, said plans to build an iconic world-class visitor centre telling the story of the islands are taking a crucial step forward.
Mr Buchanan said an in-depth study into the architectural design of the building would also look at exhibits, displays and visual material to be hosted inside the facility.
He believes the global potential is enormous, and that the centre would attract thousands of visitors annually, creating new jobs, providing a huge tourism boost and helping the local economy.
He added: “The next few months are crucial for this project.
“The St Kilda centre will be massively important to this community and the Western Isles.
“As much as the centre will be about St Kilda, its people and culture, it will also tell the story of other island communities living on the North Atlantic rim from Scandinavia to Nova Scotia. This site is at the very heart of that periphery.”
Malcolm Maclean, chairman of Unesco Scotland, said the body had selected the project as a best example in creating remote access to important but hard-to-get-to historic landmarks.
Mr Maclean said: “With the accelerating rise of world heritage tourism, Unesco is extremely interested in remote access and have declared the St Kilda centre to be their case study and act as a model for sites all over the globe.”