Nicolson Institute, Goathill Road, Stornoway, Lewis

The Nicolson Institute, located on Goathill Road in Stornoway, Lewis, features an Italianate campanile tower that dates back to 1871. This tower is a remnant of the original Nicolson Institute, which was "erected and endowed under the will of Alexander Morison Nicolson," as noted on an inscription. Originally a free-standing structure, the tower was a decorative gift from the benefactor's brothers and is now part of a modern building.

The tower is designed in three stages, with a battered base that includes a doorway. Each elevation above the ground level features bipartite openings, while the top has louvred tripartite windows. All openings are round-headed, and there is a clock on each elevation. The structure is made from imported stone, with a brown rubble base and contrasting yellow ashlar dressings that include hood-moulds and strings. The first-floor level retains its original glazing, and the tower is topped with a shallow-pitched pyramidal slate roof and a tall decorative wrought-iron finial.

Adjoining the modern building are three memorial tablets. The first is a white marble tablet that commemorates Alexander Morison Nicolson, who was born in Stornoway in 1832 and died in Shanghai in 1865. It notes that the institution was endowed by him and further supported by Sir James Matheson, who provided a free site, playground, and an annual grant of thirty-five pounds in perpetuity.

The second tablet is made of red granite and honors Alexander Morison Nicolson, an engineer in Shanghai, who founded the institution in his hometown with the hope of benefiting the children of his early school companions. It also serves as a memorial to his brother Roderick, who was the Chaplain in the Brigade of Guards in London.

The third memorial is a bronze war memorial created by C Henshaw from Edinburgh. It features a mural panel with Seaforth antlers and is inscribed with "Scotland Forever." It commemorates the 8432 comrades of the Seaforth Highlanders who lost their lives during the Great War from 1914 to 1919.