The Isle of Harris and Tweed
Author: AngusMacLeod Total views: 8 Word Count: 691
While Scotland is only a small nation with an historically small population the influence of the Scots upon the world of today is disproportional. Throughout history a disproportionate number of Scottish men and women have played incredibly important roles in the history of the vast majority of countries of the world. From the Founding Fathers to American Presidents, British Prime Ministers to the great many explorers and missionaries the Scottish have help shape modern society. However Scotland is most widely known for it's tartan, Harris Tweed, bagpipes and the likes.
Though the vast majority consider tartan and Harris Tweed to be fundamentally traditional Scottish nothing could be further from the truth. In actual fact much of what we consider to be traditionally Scottish was a purely Victorian exaggeration (and some say an invention). The famous author Sir Walter Scott and others took elements of the Scottish Highland culture and redesigned it in a more palatable form for the King of England. When Queen Victoria and Albert fell in love with the country more such creations developed to please the Royals and their parties.
Sir Walter Scott stimulated the Royal Family's interest in Scotland who, in turn caused the English upper classes to become interested. During the reign of Queen Victoria Scotland became more accessible through the building of railway lines and it was not long before the upper classes of England began to visit. Indulging in the pursuits of hunting and fishing these early tourists did much to start the Scottish tourist industry.
To this day the railways have not reached the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides and few in the Victorian era visited this remote island. However, in 1844, the Earl of Dunmore asked the weavers of the island to create a cloth for him. His wife encouraged the weavers to create other patterns and did much to promote the product. Due to the incredible properties of the cloth, Harris Tweed, it was the perfect material for the sporting clothes of the new visitors and very quickly it became the choice cloth of the upper classes.
Harris Tweed is still produced today and the methods used have changed little. It can only be made in the Outer Hebrides and this fact helped to protect the trade from competition. Creation of the cloth is labor intensive as it is hand made. Using local wool and local natural colorings the material was tough but, eventually, materials produced abroad became popular and it's production decreased.
In many ways Harris Tweed has remained a popular material with many and the typical Harris Tweed jacket still sells extremely well. In recent years use of the material has diversified greatly and has been used in high fashion on a number of occasions. It is now possible to find a wide selection of product made from it and companies, such as Nike, have recognized it's qualities and used it in their products.
While depopulation continues to be a problem in the Hebrides much has been done to stimulate industry. Today one of the most important industries is the tourist trade which continues to grow year by year and is now a major element in the local economy. Crofting and the weaving of Harris Tweed continue to have a role but, unfortunately, the tweed industry suffered a major set back with the closure of the main mill. While the future of the industry is uncertain it is likely that there will be an enormous effort to regenerate it.
The Isle of Harris has plenty to entertain the visitor though most arrive with the sole intention of relaxing. Of course the unique landscape, fantastic beaches and seascapes, are world renowned but many now visit to trace their family roots, enjoy sports competitions, attend Gaelic and Celtic music gatherings and many, many other reasons. You will be glad to hear that getting to the Isle of Harris is far easier than during the Victorian era. Today there are regular flights to Stornoway on the adjoining Isle of Lewis but the vast majority arrive by ferry from the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides (which is now joined to Scotland by a bridge).
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Why not visit the island and stay in a Isle of Harris Hotel or in Harris bed and breakfast?
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