110416: Mission House, Brenish

The Mission House in Brenish was built for the village missionary in 1929/30, the same time as the village Mission Hall was built at the other end of the village.

The building and its Feu had no legal status until the Church paid a sum of money to the land owner and Brenish Crofters and registered the Feu and House with the Land Registry on the 15th December 1950. 

Several missionaries stayed over the years with links to some, others 1929-1935 Donald MacDonald, Bernera; 1949-1956 ?; 1956-1960 John Shaw, Harris; 1960-1961 Kenneth Campbell, Harris; 1961-1963 John Mackenzie, Carloway; 1967-1970 Norman Maclean, Lochs; 1970-1975 John Campbell, Point.

In 1975, Mission House passed into private hands when the Rev. Kenneth Macleod from Carishader, the minister of St. Columba’s Church in Stornoway, purchased the property from the Church. He renamed it ‘Tulloch Ard’, however this name was never formally registered with the Post Office. Rev Macleod and family had it as a holiday home until it was sold in 1978.

Ownership of the property changed hands seven times over the next twenty seven years. From 1978-1980 Dr Nigel Berisford owned it followed by his son from 1980-1994. From 1994-1996 Mr. and Mrs. Reeves owned it followed by their daughter and family. Then it was purchased and kept for one year. The  last owner (eighth) had it for ten years, from 2005-2015. The last owner reverted it to the original name Mission House.