Stornoway

This article is about the Scottish town. For other uses, see Stornoway (disambiguation).

Stornoway
Stornoway is located in Outer Hebrides
Stornoway
Stornoway
Location within the Outer Hebrides
Area3.16 km2 (1.22 sq mi)
Population4,800 (2022)[1]
• Density1,519/km2 (3,930/sq mi)
DemonymSteòrnabhach, Stornowegian
LanguageEnglish
Scottish Gaelic
OS grid referenceNB426340
• Edinburgh197 mi (317 km)
• London525 mi (845 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSTORNOWAY
Postcode districtHS1
Dialling code01851
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
58°12′32″N 6°23′13″W / 58.209°N 6.387°W / 58.209; -6.387

Stornoway (/ˈstɔːrnəweɪ/ ⓘ; Scottish Gaelic: Steòrnabhagh [ˈʃtʲɔːrˠn̪ˠəvaɣ]; Scots: Stornowa) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.

The town's population is around 6,953,[2] making it the third-largest island town in Scotland after Kirkwall in Orkney and Lerwick in Shetland. The historical civil parish of Stornoway, which includes various nearby villages, has a combined population of just over 10,000.[3][4] The Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) measures population in a different area: the Stornoway settlement area, Laxdale, Sandwick and Newmarket; in 2019, the estimated population for this area was 6,953.[2]

Stornoway is an important port and the administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides. It is home to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and a variety of educational, sporting and media establishments. Until relatively recently, observance of the Christian Sabbath (Sunday) has been associated with Hebridean culture. Recent changes[5][6] mean that Sundays[7] on Lewis now more closely resemble those in most parts of the Southern Isles, i.e. Benbecula, South Uist, Barra, and Vatersay, and on mainland Scotland.

  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Overview". www.cne-siar.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Stornoway Profile". Highlands & Islands Enterprise. May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Factfile - Population". Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  5. ^ "First Sunday ferry leaves Stornoway for the mainland". the Guardian. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Stornoway Sunday planes". www.hebrides-news.com. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Sundays - Isle of Lewis". www.isle-of-lewis.com. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2021.