The Hynish Trust wants to re-open the Signal Tower for people to visit: we will engage the local community in the design and content of the interior.
Estimated Price
Not yet known
1. The Hynish Trust wants to re-open the Signal Tower as part of the bigger site project, Lighting Up the Shore Station. The tower needs to be made wind, and watertight, and some internal upgrading is required to make it fit for use. We want to engage our architect, a quantity surveyor and a building specialist to scope out and cost the work. Funding must then be found. Once work is complete on the tower, we will work with Screen Argyll, the community, and task our young people to propose ideas for the interior. We want the community to be involved, and especially the younger members of our community, in the re-telling of the story of Hynish and the role the Signal Tower played in this. Ultimately, we would like to incorporate audio-visual elements into the visitor experience making this a highlight of the self-guided tour and an extension of the Skerryvore Exhibition.
2. The Signal Tower is an A-listed building, and its structural condition is deteriorating. It is a vital part of the story of Skerryvore lighthouse and an asset to the community who now own the site. It is a unique piece of heritage and was designed by Alan Stevenson to enable those working at the shore station to communicate with the lighthouse keepers out at Skerryvore lighthouse. Many members of the community have ancestors who worked on the site or out on the reef and it remains of personal significance to them. Visitors to the site have asked for it to be re-opened and in a consultation with the community in 2023 it was cited as being a top priority in terms of repair. In February 2024 an event was held specifically to gauge people’s interest in the project and to decide on a way forward. 26 people attended an open session where people could come and share their thoughts, record their ideas, and complete a survey. Of the 26 people in attendance, 16 completed a survey with all 16 saying it is important that we preserve and celebrate the heritage at Hynish of which the Signal Tower is a focal point.
3. Our project will stabilise the condition of the Signal Tower and allow it to be re-opened for the community and visitors to enjoy. It will provide a focal point for engagement with the local community, and with our young people who we would like to lead on the telling of the Stevenson story. We will also be able to rehouse elements of the Skerryvore Lighthouse Exhibition in the Signal Tower once it is weather-proof and the interior has been upgraded to a standard capable of housing exhibition material. We plan to re-distribute the exhibition across the site, allowing visitors to fully and accessibly immerse themselves in the story of Hynish. We are currently designing new leaflets which will include a map of the site and signage to guide visitors from one building to the next. In time, we hope to compliment this with information points in various locations and an app. We will encourage Gaelic as a living language on site. The project will provide opportunities for volunteers, and additionally, we are exploring ways of participating in schemes which promote the learning of traditional skills which can then be used in ongoing maintenance and preservation of the site.
4. Once we have secured funding, the project will run for 12 months.
