St Kilda, Hirta, Village Bay, Cleit 75

NF19NW 21.16 10019 99397

This drystone structure, a good example of a village cleit with a side entrance, stands in the area NW of the burial-ground. It is built within the plot formerly attached to House 11 and Black House O, its W wall forming part of the boundary of the adjacent strip associated with Black Houses P and Q.

The cleit stands on a gentle slope and is aligned N-S, the entrance being towards the N end of the W side-wall. The building is of an elongated subrectangular plan, straight-sided and round-angled, outside and inside. Externally, the walls are battered, and the roof, which consists of a covering of turf, earth and stones above a series of slab ceiling-lintels, has a rounded profile. There is what appears to be a small aumbrey over the inner face of the doorway. Internally, the walls are built mainly of medium-sized stones except at the S end where the masonry comprises larger blocks and a more open construction. The walls are corbelled and the ceiling-slabs have a clear span of 0.53m above a floor-level width of 0.99m. The interior is 5.62m in maximum length and the height above the existing floor-level is 1.27m. A more solid, probably stony, floor lies about 0.33m below the existing level.

G P Stell and M Harman 1988.

NF 101 991 (centre) As part of the Management Agreement with Historic Scotland, the monuments within Village Bay were recorded and monitored, and certain cleits, dykes and enclosures were repaired in 2001 under supervision by members of the two volunteer work parties. Detailed work included the completion of the identification of around 300 cleits for active management, and the production of a report on cleit preservation, as well as rapid assessments of coastal erosion and the deposition of builders' debris within some of the roofless structures along the village street.

Report to be deposited in the NMRS.

NF 101 991 (centre) As part of the Management Agreement with Historic Scotland, the monuments within Village Bay were recorded and monitored, and certain cleits, dykes, drains and enclosures were repaired under supervision by members of the volunteer work parties which went out to St Kilda in 2002.

A photographic survey of the coastline in Village Bay was carried out and compared to images taken in 1999. The survey indicated erosion along the NE side of the bay. Two sherds of hand-made pottery were recovered and a layer of burning noted in an exposed section.

The annual monitoring of cleits across the island was carried out and the photographic survey of them continued.

Report to be deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsors: HS, NTS.

S Bain 2002