Blackhouse Museum
| The Blackhouse Museum | |
|
Ross-shire | |
|---|---|
 The Blackhouse, 42 Arnol | |
| Type: | Museum |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NB310492 |
| Location: | 58°20’57"N, 6°35’53"W |
| Village: | Arnol |
| History | |
| Museum | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Historic Scotland |
| Website: | The Blackhouse, Arnol |
The Blackhouse Museum is found in Arnol on the Isle of Lewis in Ross-shire. Lewis is the largest and most inhabited of the Outer Hebrides, and this museum shows an aspect of life once ubiquitous throughout the Outer Hebrides, namely the 'blackhouses': low, dark, thatched houses built with heavy drystone walls against the cold and the storms which scour the islands.
The centres on one house, No. 42 Arnol, which is probably the best example of a blackhouse on Lewis. The house has been in state care since the occupants moved out in the 1960s.[1] The building, complete with internal fittings, gives a very good impression of what it would have been like to live in a blackhouse. The central hearth is always kept lit and is essential to keep the roof dry and in good condition.
The visitor centre also includes the ruined blackhouse over the road at No. 39. This is one of the few blackhouses on Lewis that have been investigated archaeologically.[2] The excavation by Headland Archaeology revealed successive phases of occupation as the building was modified during the last century as estate owners tried to improve living standards. The earliest levels identified an open central hearth with no clear division between the living area and the byre. In later phases, floors were cobbled or flagged and a step was built to separate the areas occupied by humans and animals. The living area was levelled, probably to accommodate box beds and other furniture. Before the roof collapsed the building was used as a weaving shed as evidenced by the presence of a stone-built platform in the central room.
Outsdie links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Blackhouse Blackhouse Museum) |
- The Blackhouse, Arnol: Historic Scotland
- The Blackhouse, Arnol: VisitScotland