The island was purchased by the government in 1922 after the mine closed. In 1949 The Forestry Commission was granted land bringing much-needed employment, and in 1956 The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board delivered mains electricity to the island. In the 1960s Raasay House and various other properties were purchased by John Green, a doctor residing Sussex who visited the island only once and whose lack of interest in it earned him the sobriquet "Dr No". Having purchased the property for £8,000 he sold it to the Highlands and Islands Development Board in 1979 for £135,000.