The Isle of Harris is a small place that a great many people have heard of. Usually it is the tweed they know, or the beaches – Luskentyre and Seilebost turn up on “best beaches in the world” lists with almost boring regularity. Harris sits at the southern end of the long island it shares with Lewis, out in the Outer Hebrides, reached by the ferry into Tarbert or the winding road down from the north.
What gets less attention is the people making things there. Harris makers tend to work with whatever is closest to hand – the stone underfoot, the light coming off the water, the famous cloth being woven down the road. It gives the work a strong sense of place, and it means a gift from Harris carries a bit of the island with it.
Here are six pieces, all made in Harris, all in stock as we write this. They run from £7.50 to £55, so there is something here whether you are buying a small thank you or a proper keepsake.
Harris Tweed mosaic trinket box – £15
Cliasmol Crafts, Isle of Harris
Harris Tweed turns up twice in this one. The lid is painted in copper and set with a mosaic of tweed offcuts, and the inside is lined with tweed as well. It is a sensible size for rings, cufflinks, or the small treasures that need a home of their own. A tidy way to give someone a bit of the island’s most famous cloth without buying a whole jacket.
Double coat hooks with a felted Hebridean scene – £7.50
BoleBespoke, Isle of Harris
A vintage-style double coat hook with a tiny felted panel set into it – a little Hebridean beach or landscape, and each one comes out different from the last. At £7.50 it is the sort of small, thoughtful thing that suits a housewarming, a thank you, or the very organised friend who has firm views on where coats should live. Three for £21 if you are buying for a few people, and sets of three arrive boxed.
Tern placemat – £12.50
Joceline Hildrey Illustration, Isle of Harris
An illustrated tern on a melamine placemat, cork-backed and 23cm square, drawn by Harris illustrator Joceline Hildrey. Terns are some of the great travellers of the bird world, which feels about right for a table that has people coming and going around it. There is a matching coaster if you would like the set. An everyday thing, nicer for being made by someone who knows the birds.
Cluer Post Box fused glass suncatcher – £22
Harris Glass Studio, Isle of Harris
This is a favourite, partly because the maker’s own description more or less gives directions to her house. The Cluer Post Box is a fused glass suncatcher modelled on the real post box at the top of the road down to the studio, and the note says that if you find the actual one, you should pop in and say hello. Island post boxes tend to sit in a sheltered spot facing away from the weather, which tells you most of what you need to know about Hebridean weather. The glass is hand-cut, assembled and fired in a home kiln.
Lewisian gneiss pendant – £38
Gneiss Things, Isle of Harris
A pendant hand-carved from Lewisian gneiss, the stone that makes up much of Harris and Lewis. It is some of the oldest rock in Britain – geologists put parts of it close to three billion years old. Each pendant is carved by hand and comes on an adjustable cord, and because no two pieces of stone are alike, every one is a genuine one-off. Wearing a piece of three-billion-year-old Harris around your neck is a decent conversation starter.
Blue Coral Bowl – £55
Harris Glass Studio, Isle of Harris
The special one to finish on. The Blue Coral Bowl is built from strips of blue glass arranged in a coral pattern, fused in the kiln and then slumped over a mould to get its curve. In sunlight it casts a coloured shadow across whatever it is sitting on, which is the kind of small daily pleasure that makes a £55 bowl earn its place on the shelf. Each one is made individually, so yours will be its own thing.
A gift with a bit of the island in it
Every piece here was made by someone living and working in Harris, and every order is sent out by the maker themselves. Buy any of these and you are putting money straight into an island workshop, which is a good feeling to wrap up alongside the gift.
Have a browse through everything made in the Isle of Harris when you have five minutes – there is plenty more where these came from.
