Staffa 158049 225700006 2008-07-14T23:41:54Z Angusmclellan 203730 Disambiguate [[Mull]] to [[Isle of Mull]] using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]] {{Infobox Scottish island | |latitude=56.43 |longitude=-6.33 |GridReference=NM323355 |celtic name= Stafa [http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php?facal=Staffa&seorsa=Beurla&tairg=Lorg&eis_saor=on] |norse name= stafi-oy |meaning of name= Old Norse for 'stave or pillar island'. |area=33 ha |area rank= 0 |highest elevation=42&nbsp;m |Population= Uninhabited since 1800 |population rank= |main settlement= |island group= [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] |local authority=[[Argyll and Bute]] |references=<ref name= Smith>Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) ''The Scottish Islands''. Edinburgh. Canongate.</ref><ref>Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 First Series (1976) Sheet 48</ref> }} '''Staffa''' ([[Scottish Gaelic]]: '''Stafa'''<ref>Mac an Tàilleir, Iain, (2003) [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/pdfs/placenamesP-Z.pdf "Placenames P-Z"] (pdf) Edinburgh. Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved [[08 June]] [[2008]].</ref>, {{pronounced|s̪t̪afa}}; [[Old Norse]] for stave or pillar island), is an island of the [[Inner Hebrides]] in [[Argyll and Bute]], [[Scotland]]. The [[Vikings]] gave it this name as its columnar [[basalt]] reminded them of their houses, which were built from vertically placed tree-logs.<ref name=Murray> Murray, W.H. (1973) ''The Islands of Western Scotland.'' London. Eyre Methuen.</ref> Staffa lies about 10&nbsp;[[kilometre]]s (6&nbsp;[[mile|mi]]) west of the [[Isle of Mull]]. The area is 33&nbsp;[[hectare]]s<ref>This is Haswell-Smith's estimate. Keay (1994) states 28 ha.</ref> and the highest point is 42&nbsp;[[metre]]s (135&nbsp;[[Foot (unit of length)|ft]]) above [[sea level]]. The island came to prominence in the late eighteenth century after a visit by [[Sir Joseph Banks]]. He and his fellow travellers extolled the natural beauty of the basalt columns in general and of the island's main sea cavern which Banks re-named '[[Fingal's Cave]]'. Their visit was followed by that of many other prominent personalities throughout the next two centuries, including [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Felix Mendelssohn]]. The latter's ''[[Hebrides Overture]]'' brought further fame to the island, which was by then uninhabited. It is now in the care of the [[National Trust for Scotland]].<ref name=Keay/> [[Image:Staffa from the air.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Aerial view of Staffa with The Colonnade in the foreground and Am Buchaille to the right.]] ==Geology and pre-history== In pre-historic times Staffa was covered by the ice sheets which spread from Scotland out into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] beyond the [[Outer Hebrides]]. After the last retreat of the ice around 20,000 years ago, sea levels were up to 125&nbsp;metres lower than at present. Although the [[isostasy|isostatic]] rise of land makes estimating post-glacial coastlines a complex task, circa 14,000&nbsp;[[Before Present|BP]] it is likely that Staffa was a larger island, just off the coast of mainland Scotland, which at that time would have included what is now the [[Isle of Mull]], [[Iona]] and the [[Treshnish Isles]].<ref name=Murray/> Steadily rising sea levels since that time then further isolated this little island, which is entirely of [[Vulcanism|volcanic]] origin. It consists of a basement of [[tuff]], underneath colonnades of a black fine-grained [[Tertiary]] [[basalt]], overlying which is a third layer of basaltic lava lacking a crystalline structure. By contrast, slow cooling of the second layer of basalt resulted in an extraordinary pattern of predominantly hexagonal columns which form the faces and walls of the principal caves.<ref name=Smith>Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) ''The Scottish Islands''. Edinburgh. Canongate</ref> The lava contracted towards each of a series of equally spaced centres as it cooled and solidified into prismatic columns. The columns typically have three to eight sides, six being most common. The columns are also divided horizontally by cross joints.<ref>Mitchell, Colin and Mitchell, Patrick (2005) ''Landform and Terrain: The Physical Geography of Landscape'' Brailsford Press. ISBN 1904623565 [http://www.brailsfordpress.com/chapters%201-3.pdf 3.pdf]</ref> Similar formations are found at the [[Giant's Causeway]] In [[Ireland]], on the island of [[Ulva]] and Ardmeanach on the [[Isle of Mull]].<ref name=Keay>Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland''. London. HarperCollins.</ref> Grooves in the roof of MacKinnon's cave indicate either a pyroclastic flow or a series of eroded ash falls in the rock above the columnar basalt.<ref>Grampian Speleological Group Newsletter Number 128 (September 2006) ''To Staffa with Ladder''. [http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/arb/gsg/news/128.html]</ref> The 'Staffa Group' is the name given to the series of [[olivine]] [[tholeiite basalt]]s found in the vicinity of [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] which erupted 55-58 million years ago.<ref>Bell, B.R. and Jolley, D.W. (1997) ''Application of palynological data to the chronology of the Palaeogene lava fields of the British Province: implications for magmatic stratigraphy''. Journal of the Geological Society. London. Vol. 154, pp. 701–708.</ref> ==Geography== [[Image:060810-17a-RockLayersStaffa.jpg|thumb|left|Rock layers on Staffa: tuff, columnar basalt, amorphous basalt]] Staffa lies about 10&nbsp;[[kilometre]]s (6&nbsp;[[mile|mi]]) west of [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], and 9&nbsp;km northeast of [[Iona]]. It is longitudinally oriented north-south, and is a kilometre long by about half a kilometre wide. The circumference is almost 3&nbsp;km in extent. In the northeast the isle shelves to a shore, but otherwise the coast is rugged and much indented, numerous caves having been carved out by rain, stream and ocean. There is enough grass on the surface to feed a few cattle, and the island contains a spring. On the east coast are Goat Cave and Clamshell Cave. The latter is 10&nbsp;m high, about 6&nbsp;m wide at the entrance, some 45&nbsp;m long, and on one side of it the ridges of basalt stand out like the ribs of a ship. Near this cave is the pyramidal rock islet of ''Am Buachaille'' ([[Scots Gaelic|Gaelic]]: ''The Herdsman''), a pile of basalt columns fully seen only at low tide. Other outlying rocks include Eilean Dubh to the north-west and a series of skerries stretching for half a kilometre to the south-west. On the southwest shore are Boat Cave and Mackinnon’s Cave (named after an 15th century Abbot of [[Iona]]), which has a tunnel connecting it to Cormorant Cave. These caves lie to the south-west and can be accessed from the bay of Port an Fhasgaidh at low tide. In 1945 a mine exploded near Boat Cave causing damage to the cliff face which is still visible.<ref name=Smith/> At 107 metres, Mackinnon's Cave is the 79th longest sea cave in the world.<ref>[http://www.caverbob.com/seacave.html Long Sea Caves of the World] Retrieved [[14 April]] [[2007]]. Note however that the list only features entries from North America, Hawaii, and Europe.</ref> Staffa's most famous feature is [[Fingal's Cave]]. This is a huge [[sea cave]] near the southern tip of the island some 20&nbsp;m high and 75&nbsp;m long formed in cliffs of hexagonal [[basalt]] columns. This cliff-face is called the Colonnade or The Great Face and it was these cliffs and its caves that inspired [[Felix Mendelssohn]]'s ''Die Hebriden'' (English: [[Hebrides Overture]] opus 26),<ref>[http://www.galvestonsymphony.org/composers/Mendelssohn_FingalsCave.html Galveston Symphony Program Notes: Mendelssohn] Retrieved [[10 December]] [[2006]].</ref> which was premiered in [[London]] in 1832.<ref>[http://www.lasr.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/prognotes/mendelssohn/hebridesOv.html Program Notes: Mendelssohn: "Hebrides" Overture by Geoff Kuenning] Retrieved [[10 December]] [[2006]].</ref> The original gaelic name for Fingal's Cave is ''An Uamh Bhin'' - 'the melodious cave' - but it was subsequently renamed after the 3rd century Irish warrior [[Fionn mac Cumhaill|Fionn MacCool]].<ref name=Smith/><ref>Keay & Keay (1994) ''op cit'' state that the re-naming was done by Banks, although showcaves.com states that Mendelssohn is blamed for the 'misnaming'.</ref><ref>Bray (1996) ''op cit'' notes that [[James Macpherson]]'s ''Fingal, an Ancient Epic Poem'' was a "runaway bestseller" in many European countries at the time, and that Banks may later have regretted his choice when it became clear that Macpherson's claims to have translated the work from an ancient Gaelic manuscripts proved to be bogus.</ref> Mendelssohn was nonetheless inspired by the sound of the waves in the cave and waxed lyrical about his visit, claiming that he arrived in Scotland: "with a rake for folk-songs, an ear for the lovely, fragrant countryside, and a heart for the bare legs of the natives."<ref>''The New Encyclopedia Britannica'' (1978) Chicago. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.</ref> ==History== [[Image:Staffa engraving.jpg|thumb|Engraving based on sketches made of Fingal's Cave by [[John Cleveley the Younger|John Cleveley Jnr.]] originally published in 1772<ref>Cleveley accompanied Pennant (1772) ''op cit'' on his voyage.</ref>]] ===18th century=== Little is known of the early history of Staffa, although the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] town of [[Stäfa]] on [[Lake Zurich]] was named after the island by a monk from nearby [[Iona]].<ref name=Smith/> Originally part of the [[Ulva]] estate of the [[Clan MacQuarrie|MacQuarries]] until 1777, it was brought to the English-speaking world's attention after a visit by [[Sir Joseph Banks]] in August 1772. ''En route'' to [[Iceland]] in the company of the painter [[Johann Zoffany]], the Bishop of [[Linköping]], and a Dr. Solander, Banks, (later a president of the [[Royal Society]]) was entertained by Maclean of Drummen, on the [[Isle of Mull]]. Hearing about Staffa he resolved to visit and set out from [[Tobermory]] the next day. The winds were light and they did not arrive until darkness had fallen.<ref name=Bray>Bray, Elizabeth (1996) ''The Discovery of the Hebrides: Voyages to the Western Isles 1745-1883''. Edinburgh. Birlinn.</ref><ref>Bray (1996) ''ibid'' suggests that Banks' companion was a Bishop of Iceland, but this seems unlikely as Cooper (1979) ''op cit'' provides him with a name and a bishopric - see note below.</ref> Banks wrote: <blockquote> It was too dark to see anything, so we carried our tent and baggage near the only house on the island, and began to cook our suppers, in order to be prepared for the earliest dawn, and to enjoy that which, from the conversation of the gentlemen we had, now raised the highest expectations of.<ref>Pennant, Thomas (1772) ''A Tour of Scotland and a Voyage to the Hebrides''. London. Benjamin White. Quoted in Bray (1996) ''op cit'' page 90.</ref> </blockquote> They were not disappointed. Despite becoming infested with lice during his short stay on the island, he provided glowing reports of his visit.<ref name=Smith/> He confessed that he was: <blockquote> forced to acknowledge that this piece of architecture, formed by nature, far surpasses that of the [[Louvre]], that of [[St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter]] at Rome, all that remains of [[Palmyra]] and [[Paestum]], and all that the genius, the taste and the luxury of the Greeks were capable of inventing.<ref name=Keay/><ref>However, Cooper (1979) ''op cit'' is unequivocal in stating that this "hyperbole" was penned by The Bishop of Linköping, Uno von Troil, who accompanied Banks.</ref> </blockquote> [[Samuel Johnson]] and his protege [[James Boswell]] visited The MacQuarrie on Ulva in 1773, the year after Banks' visit. Perhaps aware that Banks considered that the columnar basalt cliff formations on Ulva called 'The Castles' rivalled Staffa's<ref>MacNab, Peter (1993) ''Mull and Iona: Highways and Byways''. Edinburgh. Luath Press.</ref> Johnson wrote: <blockquote> When the islanders were reproached with their ignorance or insensibility of the wonders of Staffa, they had not much to reply. They had indeed considered it little, because they had always seen it; and none but philosophers, nor they always, are struck with wonder otherwise than by novelty.<ref>Johnson, Samuel (1775) ''A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland''. London. Chapman & Dodd. (1924 edition).</ref> </blockquote> Amongst the first<ref>In fact Cooper (1979) ''op cit'' states that Faujus was the first such person to be attracted to the Hebrides (page 16), but then later (page 26) refers to a prior visit by Uno von Troil in the company of Banks. Perhaps he did not consider Swedish bishops to be sufficiently important to merit this accolade.</ref> eminent overseas visitors to Staffa were [[Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond]], a wealthy French zoologist and mineralogist and the American architect and naturalist [[William Thornton]]. Visiting in 1784, they were suitably impressed, Faujus writing: "this superb monument of nature, which in regard to its form bears so strong a resemblance to a work of art, though art can certainly claim no share in it."<ref>Faujus de Saint Frond, B. ''A Journey through England and Wales to the Hebrides in 1784'', edited by Sir Archibald Geikie (1907) and quoted in Cooper (1979) ''op cit''.</ref> ===19th and 20th centuries=== Subsequently a stream of famous visitors came to view Staffa's wonders including [[Robert Adam]], [[Sir Walter Scott]] (1810), [[John Keats]] (1818), [[J. M. W. Turner]], whose 1830 visit yielded an oil painting exhibited in 1832, [[William Wordsworth]] (1833), [[Jules Verne]] (1839), [[Alice Liddell]] (the inspiration for [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]) in 1878, [[David Livingstone]] (1864), [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] (1870) and Mendelssohn himself in 1829.<ref name=Keay/><ref name=Cooper/> Wordsworth, however, found the volume of tourism disappointing. [[Image:Boat Cave.JPG|right|thumb|Boat Cave]] {{Quote box| width=40% |align=centre |quote=We saw, but surely in the motley crowd :Not one of us has felt, the far-famed sight: :How could we feel it? Each the others blight, :Hurried and hurrying volatile and loud. |source= [[William Wordsworth]], Cave of Staffa. Poems Suggested or Composed During a Tour in the Summer of1833. No 28.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww832.html Bartleby.com] Retrieved [[3 May]] [[2007]]</ref>}} Writing more than a century later the writer [[W. H. Murray]] agreed, complaining that the visitors spoiled the "character and atmosphere", and rather stand-offishly suggesting that "to know Staffa one must go alone".<ref>Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann.</ref> Others were more enthusiastic, despite the presence of numerous others. [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] were rowed into the cave in the royal barge in 1847,<ref name=Cooper/><ref>Keay & Keay (1994) ''op cit'' state 1836, which is unlikely.</ref> and ''The Times'' correspondent recorded: <blockquote> As the Royal Squadron cleared out of the Sound of Mull, and round the northern extremity of the island, a noble prospect lay before it, the steep and barren headlands of [[Ardnamurchan]] stretching away into the Atlantic on the right, on the left the precipitous cliffs of the Mull coast, and far away and embosomed in the ocean, the fantastic and varied forms of the adjacent islands. The horizon toward the north was a good deal obscured by haze, but, notwithstanding, [[Skye]] was distinctly visible... The deserted and solitary aspect of the island was brought out with a strange and startling effect by the presence of so many steamers; and as Her Majesty's barge with the Royal Standard floated into the cave, the crew dipping their oars with the greatest precision, nothing could be more animated and grand than the appearance which the vast basaltic entrance, so solemn in its proportions, presented.<ref>''The Times'' correspondent writing in the ''Illustrated London News'' (1847), quoted in Bray (1996) ''op cit'' page 244.</ref> </blockquote> [[Image:Scotland-Staffa-Fingals-Cave-1900.jpg|thumb|left|Fingal's Cave around 1900]] Keats complained about the expense of the ferry, but was captivated by what he saw nonetheless. Displeased with his first efforts to describe this "cathedral of the sea" he finally settled on: {{Cquote| Not Aladdin magian/Ever such a work began, Not the wizard of the Dee, Ever such a dream could see; Not St John, in Patmos Isle, In the passion of his toil, When he saw the churches seven, Golden Aisl'd, built up in heaven, Gazed at such a rugged wonder. --[[John Keats]], Staffa<ref name=Cooper>Cooper, Derek (1979) ''Road to the Isles: Travellers in the Hebrides 1770-1914''. London. Routledge & Kegan Paul.</ref><ref>Bray (1996) ''op cit'' page 88, suggests that both Keat's and Wordsworth's attempts are "rather poor verse" and it is hard to disagree.</ref>}} ===Tenants and owners=== [[Image:Staffa beside 14624.JPG|thumb|Basalt columns on Am Buchaille]] However inspiring the scenery, it was not an easy place to live. In 1772 there was but a single family living on a diet of barley oats, flax and potatoes, and whatever their grazing animals could provide.<ref name=Smith/> By the end of the eighteenth century they had deserted Staffa, apparently terrified by the severity of winter storms.<ref name= Keay/> Signs of ‘rig and furrow’ agriculture can still be seen on the island but the only surviving building is the ruin of a 19th century shelter for travellers.<ref name=snh>[http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/designatedareas/nnrs/staffa/staffa.asp Scottish Natural Heritage:Staffa] Retrieved [[10 December]] [[2006]].</ref> By 1800 the island was under the ownership of Colin MacDonald of [[Lochboisdale|Loch Boisdale]]. In 1816 it was sold by a Ranald MacDonald into the care of trustees. There were several private owners during the twentieth century, including Alastair de Watteville, a descendant of Colin MacDonald<ref name=Smith/> who wrote a book about the island,<ref>de Watteville, Alastair (1993) ''The Island of Staffa: Its Astonishing Rock Formations Include World-renowned Fingal's Cave''. Romsey Fine Art.</ref> until finally it was gifted to the [[National Trust for Scotland]] by Jock Elliot Jr. of New York in 1986 as an imaginative way to honour the 60th birthday of his wife, Eleanor. A grateful National Trust bestowed upon her the honorific 'Steward of Staffa'.<ref>Obituaries:Eleanor Elliot ([[8 December]] [[2006]]) ''The Scotsman'' newspaper. Edinburgh.</ref> In a 2005 [[Opinion poll|poll]] of ''[[Radio Times]]'' readers, Staffa was named as the 8th greatest natural wonder in Britain.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4735935.stm BBC report of poll result] Retrieved [[10 December]] [[2006]].</ref> During the 20th century there have been issues of [[Philatelic fakes and forgeries|bogus postage stamps]], created to deceive [[Stamp collecting|collectors]], bearing Staffa's name.<ref>[http://www.iswsc.org/iswsc_identbogus.html#S International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors: Bogus Issues] Retrieved [[14 April]] [[2007]]</ref> ==Wildlife== [[Image:Staffa01.jpg|thumb|Sea cliffs]] In 1800 there were three [[Red Deer]] on the island, later replaced by goats and then a small herd of black cattle.<ref name= Smith/> Subsequently the summer grazing was used for sheep by [[crofter]]s from Iona but in 1997 all livestock was removed. This has led to a regeneration of the island's vegetation.<ref name=snh/> [[Puffin]], [[Black-legged Kittiwake]]s, [[shag]] and [[gull]]s nest on the island and the surrounding waters provide a livelihood for numerous seabirds, [[grey seal]]s, [[dolphin]]s, [[basking shark]]s and [[minke whale|minke]] and [[pilot whale]]s.<ref name=snh/> ==Visiting Staffa== Boat trips from [[Oban]], Dervaig on Mull, [[Fionnphort]] and [[Iona]] allow visitors to view caves and the puffins that nest on the island between May and September.<ref>[http://www.showcaves.com/english/gb/caves/Fingals.html Show Caves of the World] Retrieved [[10 December]] [[2006]].</ref> There is a landing place used by the tourist boats just north of Am Buachaille but disembarkation is only possible in calm conditions and the island lacks a genuine anchorage.<ref name=Smith/> ==See also== *[[Fingal's Cave]] *[[Hebrides Overture]] ==References and footnotes== [[Image:Staffa top 14693k.jpg|thumb|Above The Colonnade]] [[Image:Staffa harbour 14705k.jpg|thumb|The landing place]] [[Image:Staffa NE 14673.JPG|thumb|View looking north east to Ulva]] [[Image:Staffa04.jpg|thumb|Basalt columns inside Fingal's Cave]] <references/> ==External links== {{Commons|Staffa}} *[http://www.andycarvin.com/archives/2005/09/the_wrath_of_st.html The Wrath of Staffa] - video blog about a rainy expedition to Staffa *[http://www.nts.org.uk/web/site/home/visit/places/Property.asp?PropID=10099&NavPage=10099&NavId=5123 National Trust for Scotland: Fingal's Cave] {{Clr}} {{Hebrides}} {{coor title dm|56|26|N|6|20|W|type:isle}} [[Category:Islands of the Inner Hebrides]] [[Category:National Nature Reserves in Scotland]] [[Category:National Trust for Scotland properties]] [[Category:Uninhabited islands of Scotland]] [[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Mull, Coll and Tiree]] [[Category:Argyll and Bute]] [[de:Staffa (Schottland)]] [[et:Staffa]] [[fr:Staffa]] [[it:Staffa (Scozia)]] [[nl:Staffa]] [[nds:Staffa]] [[pl:Staffa]] [[fi:Staffa]] [[sv:Staffa]]