Blackhouse B. View of doorway.

Description Blackhouse B. View of doorway.

Date 1986 to 1986

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number B 11453

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 794015

Scope and Content Doorway of Black house B, St Kilda Village, Western Isles The traditional 'black houses' in the village of St Kilda date to the 1830s. The black houses were abandoned as dwelling places in the 1860s when new houses were built following a damaging hurricane, but they were retained as byres and barns for the livestock. Black houses were rectangular in shape with thick stone walls and no gables. The roof was thatched and supported on wooden rafters. Both humans and livestock shared the same building, and there was the one entrance. The animals were separated from the living area by a low wall. The black houses in this village were unusual in that they had windows - usually black houses had none. The St Kilda group of islands consists of Hirte (often known as St Kilda), Soay, Dun and Boreray. The islands are situated 64km to the west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, and are one of the remotest areas in Britain. The largest island, Hirte, is approximately 1,575 acres in extent. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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