Lismore is a rare outcrop of limestone in the geology of the West Coast of Scotland, in the early 19th century the stone was quarried for profit, being burned in limekilns and shipped out in locally owned smacks for agricultural lime and building mortar. The remnants of limekilns and associated works are scattered around the Island, varying in size from a single kiln to the industrial centre here at Sailean. Lime was being worked in this part of the island by 1826, and continued into the 1930s. most of the buildings at Sailean are 19th century. The buildings at Sailean served a sizeable operation and workforce, and included a Manager’s Office, Worker’s Cottages and a shop next to a Cottage on the pier. Some of the houses were inhabited in living memory. In the far top right of the photo can be seen in the distance “Glensanda Quarry” Europe’s largest quarry and ships out some 7 million tonnes of Granite each year.