Gress (), a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
on the
Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
in Scotland, is adjacent to the larger village of
Back
The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
. Gress is within the parish of
Stornoway
Stornoway (; ) 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, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
. Between 1919 and 1921, Gress – along with nearby
Coll
Coll (; )Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull and northeast of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and fo ...
and
Tong Tong may refer to:
Chinese
*Tang dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese
*Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities
*''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
– was the scene of several land raids.
Historical sites
The corn mill at Gress was built in the 19th century and used until the early 20th century. The two-storey building is in a state of ruin. There is a millstone still present.
Geography and geology
Gress is situated on the
B895, between Stornoway and
North Tolsta.
Nature
The moorland to the north of Gress is a breeding site for
Arctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
and
great skua
The great skua (''Stercorarius skua''), sometimes known by the name bonxie in Britain, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. It is roughly the size of a herring gull. It mainly eats fish caught at the sea surface or taken fro ...
in the summer. The
Iceland gull
The Iceland gull (''Larus glaucoides'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland (as its name suggests), where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from Latin ''larus'', wh ...
and the
brent goose
The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus ''Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra.
The Brent oilfield was named after ...
can be seen at Gress. The
garden tiger moth
The garden tiger moth or great tiger moth (''Arctia caja'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. ''Arctia caja'' is a northern species found in the United States, US, Canada, and Europe. The moth prefers cold climates with temperate seasonality, as ...
has also been seen at Gress.
See also
*
Lewis and Harris
Lewis and Harris (), or Lewis with Harris, is a Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides, around from the Scottish mainland.
With an area of (approximately 1% the size of Great Britain) it is the largest island in Scotland and the list of isl ...
*
History of the Outer Hebrides
The Hebrides were settled early on in the Prehistoric Scotland, settlement of the British Isles, perhaps as early as the Mesolithic, Mesolithic era, around 8500–8250 BC, after the climatic conditions improved enough to sustain human settlement. ...
References
External links
Visitor's guide for the Isle of LewisWebsiteof the
Western Isles Council with links to other resources
Disabled access to Lewis for residents and visitors*
A Guide to living in the Outer Hebrides, with most information pertaining to Lewis
Villages in the Isle of Lewis
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