Campaign for George Orwell library on Jura

Hans K Clausen is behind the scheme to build a library

Efforts are under way to establish a library dedicated to George Orwell on the Scottish Island of Jura.

The Hebridean island – which has a population of just over 200 - was Orwell’s home towards the end of his life while he wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and has long been a place of pilgrimage for fans of his work.

Earlier this year it was the site of an exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the book being published.

Now the artist behind that exhibition – which gathered 1,984 copies together – is hoping to give them a permanent home there and wants to build a wider hub for writers and artists around the collection.

1,984 versions of Nineteen Eighty-Four were collated for the exhibition and it is hoped they will form the start of the Orwell library

Hans K Clausen wants to call it ‘The Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth’ after the main character in the story.

Early discussions have taken place about its location and funding, and the project has the backing of the Orwell Foundation, which runs awards in the author's name and promotes writers who share his values.

Mr Clausen said: “There are people who travel to Jura for the Orwell connection from all over the world.

"But to think of somebody packing their suitcase in New Zealand, coming to Scotland, going to go to Jura, and they pack their copy of Nineteen Eighty Four in their suitcase and they take it to the library when they are there… that would be lovely.”

Barnhill cottage is the focus of fans' trips to Jura but Mr Clausen wants a permanent monument to Orwell's work

The main focus on Jura for Orwell fans is Barnhill, the house his family rented in the north of the island until 1949.

Claire Fletcher's family owns the Ardlussa estate where it sits.

Her husband’s grandparents first rented Barnhill to Orwell – or Eric Blair, to use his real name – in the spring of 1947.

She described how Orwell pilgrims currently face a 25-mile drive followed by a long and difficult walk “just to stand and look at a house” and hopes the library might give those visitors a destination.

“We’ve had a bit of a trudge around and there are potential sites, but this is going to take an awful lot of work and collaboration and money and that’s going to be the tricky point,” she said.

“There is a potential site on Ardlussa where we could build something from scratch, I think, rather than trying to renovate an old building because the important thing is it would have to be really watertight if it was housing lots of books.

"It would just be a question of trying to pull some people together to try and make it happen, but we’re really good at that on the island.”

The library will be built around the 1,984 versions of the book collected previously

Before that happens, the books will go on tour.

First stop is the National Galleries in Edinburgh as part of an exhibition in late November. There are then plans to take them to Wigan, London and Paris – all places relevant to Orwell’s writing.

For the Orwell Foundation, it tied in perfectly with the mission of spreading and promoting his work.

The foundation told BBC News: "George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is a book which matters but it's also a story in which books themselves - the physical objects, their individual histories and our relationships with them - have real power.

"We are delighted to be supporting this witty and imaginative project and look forward to working with Hans to explore future venues for the Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth."

Visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to add annotations to the books - school children added their ideas to this copy

As the library travels it is also expected to grow and change with new additions and visitors invited to leave their own mark on the books – which have come from all over the world.

Many are already complete with emotional notes and annotations inside.

The initial exhibition included copies in Hebrew and Arabic on a shelf together, as well copies from Russia and Ukraine sat side by side.

“Building a library for me felt like an act of defiance in some way against all the things that are happening in the world.” said Mr Clausen. “It’s an act of protest. A sort of shout at the world.”

When the shouting is done though, there are increasing hopes the books will return home to the windswept wilderness of Jura.

“We are just toying with the idea now of trying to create some sort of permanent home for this exhibition” says Claire Fletcher.

“If we can create a permanent Winston Smith library on Jura it would be absolutely magical… I think Eric Blair would have been really pleased with that.”