ABOUT US
Bernera Historical Society was founded in 1991 with Membership consisting of residents, visitors and exiles,
Our volunteers welcome and assist visitors to the museum.
Collection includes artifacts from the Iron Age Village dig at Bosta Beach along with information on the Iron Age House.
The story of Bernera history is told by interpretation boards for The Bridge, The Riot, The Lobster Ponds and more
Genealogy of local families and crofts are collected and shared in our archive
We have a large collection of photographs of Bernera, its people and way of life on display..
Proud to be a fully Accredited Museum.
Gaelic is spoken by some of our volunteers.
Most visitors spend around 30 minutes in the museum and also visit the Iron Age House at Bosta which is also run by the Historical Society.
Visitors looking for family history are welcome, as are enquires to our email berneramuseum1@gmail.com, which we will assist.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on the activities of Bernera Museum and stories of Bernera please follow us on Facebook on the Bernera Historical Society page.
You can also find us on on the following websites
Great Bernera Community Development Trust https://greatbernera.org/
Hebridean Connections https://hebrideanconnections.com/
H
Inspirock on this link https://www.inspirock.com/united-kingdom/isle-of-lewis/bernera-museum-a1479266451
Visit Outer Hebrides Tourisum https://www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/see-and-do/bosta-iron-age-house-and-bernera-museum-p594041
TripAdvisor on this link https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186583-d12612239-Reviews-Bernera_Museum-Isle_of_Lewis_Lewis_and_Harris_Outer_Hebrides_The_Hebrides_Scotla.html
PERICELS Maritime and Heriatge Mapping Project on this link
Now available to buy in the museum.
This History of Great Bernera and Tir Mor has been compiled from information collected by the volunteers in the museum since the Comunn Eachdraidh was founded and held within our archive. In a timeline format we start at the very beginning and cover important and interesting events and stories from Bernera, and some things that do not fit in with a specific date or time period.
It does not cover family or croft histories as this information is available elsewhere.
If you are interested in buying a copy of this 45 page book then please come into the museum where they are on sale.
We can also post this to you for P&P of 2.20 for the UK. Please send email to berneramuseum1@gmail.com with your name and address and if you will pay by sending us a cheque or by BACS, we will send you payment details by email. Please do not send requests on Facebook as we will not give bank details or want you to put your address in that forum.
There is also a selection of postcards and leaflets relevant to Bernera on sale in the museum
New Display for 2025
Iron Age Pottery found in the waters for Loch Bharabhat round the island where the ruins of Dun Bharabhat can be found.
DISPLAY CHANGES FOR 2023
Following the donations of the Angus Maciver watch and the Bill Eadie clock by each family to the museum these have gone on display along with some other items of interest from the first Bernera Bridge. Both these gents are instrumental in the bridge being built in their own and different ways.
DISPLAY CHANGES FOR 2021
During the Covid 19 closure we have refurbished the display area and changed our displays a bit.
A new display case for the Iron Age artefacts has been purchased allowing for a better view and more security for them.
Margaret Ferguson has loaned us her portraits of three Bernera men who died in the Iolaire disaster before they will be moved to the new Iolaire exhibition center once it is completed.Display cases have been moved and some items' from storage have been put on display.
CHILDREN'S QUIZ
We offer all children the chance to take part in our free Museum quiz. There are seven pictures of items in the museum to find and name with as much detail as possible. At the end of the season we draw a winner from the best answers to receive an Amazon voucher.
IRON AGE ARTEFACTS
on display in the new case
Hebridean Connections website.
Over twenty years ago the Hebridean Connections website was set up to provide thousands of records relating to the genealogy, history, traditions, culture and archaeology of the Outer Hebrides. The material was drawn mostly from the archives of local historical societies (Comann Eachdraidh) and other member organisations, with valuable input from Hebrideans and their descendants around the world. Today, information is being contributed by sixteen organisations from the north of Lewis to Benbecula.
Comann Eachdraidh Sgìre Bhearnaraidh (Bernera Historical Society) is one of the four founder member of Hebridean Connections and has contributed all our genealogical and crofting records to this website. Recently our volunteers have been checking all our records and updating them as required. This is an on-going process as new information is provided to the Comann Eachdraidh and additional persons, places and items of cultural and historical interest are added to the database.
Over the years the website has been upgraded, it is presently using new software and is inchoative and easy to use. It is only limited by the information that is available to the member organisations.
Today Hebridean Connections is operated solely by volunteers in each member organisation, and centrally, who give a lot of their time ensure that the best information is available for all to see.
Due to regulations Hebridean Connections can only publish information of people who are no longer with us. Those looking for living relatives will not find then here, sorry.