As the majestic Lews Castle undergoes redevelopment, Scotland’s Outer Hebrides – an island chain located off the north-west coast – will soon be home to the U.K.’s first Gaelic-language museum and hotel, reports the Daily Mail.
Once the Victorian-era home of Sir James Matheson, the castle – which overlooks the burgh of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis – will undergo a $22 million project to convert it into a tourist attraction.
Along with its own permanent collection, the museum space will include display room for borrowed exhibits from the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. The rest of the castle will be converted into high-quality accommodations for visitors.
The project is now moving ahead thanks to a $7.5 million grant from the U.K.’s Heritage Lottery Fund, which directs money raised by the country’s National Lottery towards initiatives which help sustain national heritage.
Currently the project is still short about $3.25 million in funding, but organizers "are confident the shortfall will be found. We are already in discussions with various parties," said a spokesman for the Western Isles Council.