Uig Tower

Major William Fraser became the owner of the Kilmuir Estate in 1855 and the tower was constructed around 1860 at a place where the local tenants had to go to pay their rents to his Factor. Fraser was, like many other landlords in Scotland, notorious for his contribution to the Highland Clearances, during which tenants were evicted so the land could become available for large-scale sheep farming. The folly is still associated by locals with the Clearances. In 1884 Fraser attempted to evict a family at Garafad in Staffin during a rent strike. Fraser called for help from the Government to break the strike, claiming that the local people were in rebellion. In November 1884 a flotilla of naval…

The Uig Tower is a round tower of two floors and was built in Norman style. The tower has narrow vertical slits instead of windows. The gaps resemble loopholes of a castle through which arrows could be fired on attackers, although it has no defensive function and was built purely as a show of wealth. On the outside, the gaps are decorated with cross shapes. The tower is no longer owned by the Uig Hotel but by a local land owner.