Arnol
| Arnol Gaelic: Àrnol | |
| Ross-shire | |
|---|---|
 A typical abandoned blackhouse from Arnol | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NB311486 |
| Location: | 58°20’38"N, 6°35’46"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Isle Of Lewis |
| Postcode: | HS2 |
| Dialling code: | 01851 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Na h-Eileanan Siar |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar |
Arnol is a small village typical of many settlements of the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides and within Ross-shire. It is within the parish of Barvas[1] and is found along the A858 road.[2]
This was once a thriving township with over forty crofts, it now has a population of about 100 and supports a much lower number of active crofters. It is the location of the Blackhouse Museum, owned by Historic Scotland.[3]
History
The township of Arnol has been moved at least three times in the last two hundred years with materials for buildings being robbed and re-used from earlier structures.[4] The early 19th century settlement was actually on the coast but later it was moved inland, closer to the main road. Few of the surviving buildings were lived in for more than 50 years and during that time many were considerably modified, extended and partially rebuilt.
The Arnol blackhouses
Through the village the ruins of blackhouses can be seen everywhere. Very few are still roofed but their massive stone walls and ‘organic’ lines are very characteristic. The older ones have rounded ends and appear as a series of conjoined cells typically with a central living area/byre with a porch and barn on either side. The later ones can be identified by their gabled end walls and the presence of a stone dividing wall between living area and byre.
The museum at No. 42 is probably the best example of a blackhouse on Lewis having been in state care since the occupants moved out in the 1960s.[5] It forms the heart of the Blackhouse Museum.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Arnol) |
References
- ↑ "Details of Arnol". Scottish Places. http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/towndetails585.html.
- ↑ The A858 on SABRE
- ↑ Fenton, A. (1978). The Island Blackhouse and a guide to The Blackhouse No. 42 Arnol. Edinburgh: HMSO.
- ↑ Holden, T. (2004). The Blackhouses of Arnol (Research Report). Edinburgh: Historic Scotland.
- ↑ Walker, B.; McGregor, C. (1996). The Hebridean Blackhouse. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland.