An earlier post featured the Bun Abhainn Eadarra Whaling Station in full action - this is how the site looks nowadays. The station was established in 1904 by the Norwegian company Harpunen, and during the next ten years employed up to 100 local men on a seasonal basis, as the whales migrated south during the Winter. After closing down at the start of World War 1 in 1914 the station was re-activated in 1920, and sold to Lord Leverhulmes company Lever Brothers in 1922. Despite Lord Leverhulmes death in 1925 the station continued until 1929, when mounting company debts and a scarcity of whales saw the operators go into liquidation. Some of the prefabricated buildings were demolished and much of the material was bought by local crofters who built new homes from the redundant timber and corrugated iron. In 1950 the station opened up again, under Norwegian operation, with one of two of the original chimneys being demolished to provide bricks for a new processing building. The re-opening however was not a success, and the station was to close down permanently in 1952. The site and tall brick chimney remain as a reminder of this once significant Hebridean industry.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 23:19:24 +0000
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