Introduction

‘Giant’ Angus MacAskill was a man and a half. Born in 1825 in the Western Isles, he grew to a height of 7 feet 9 inches (2.36m), weighed around 510 pounds (230kg) and was once described by the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest man who ever lived. He moved to Canada as a young boy, eventually joining PT Barnum’s infamous touring circus on the back of feats of strength that saw him pick up barrels and ship’s anchors with apparent ease (some have gone so far as to claim he also lifted horses over fences, but we give that neeeigh credence). 

More certain is the fact that he performed at Windsor Castle in front of a suitably awed Queen Victoria, living into his late thirties before passing away at home in Nova Scotia. Today, the (ironically rather small) Giant MacAskill Museum in Dunvegan remembers a man with one heck of a story to tell – you’ll find a scale model of Angus himself, as well as replicas of his oversized furniture.