Whalebone Arch

Bragar, Isle of Lewis. Erected by the former village postmaster Murdo Morrison, this was formed from the lower jaw bone of an 80 foot long blue whale which beached itself and died in Bragar Bay after been harpooned by hunters in September 1920. My 5'11" frame gives it a true sense of scale!

Where the whale came from remains a mystery. There were markings on the harpoon, which seemed to indicate oriental origins, and it was thought that the whale might have travelled hundreds of miles from the Antarctic whaling grounds.

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