Blackhouse - Arnol - Isle of Lewis - Western Isles - Outer Hebrides
The blackhouses tell us a lot about what island life was like in The Western Isles in the past. The blackhouse were a residence for both animals and humans. There was no chimney and a peat fire was lit at all times in the centre of the kitchen and living area

Blackhouses Side by Side With "Whitehouses" In the village of Arnol - Isle of Lewis blackhouses stand side by side with the more modern dwellings nicknamed "whitehouses". The blackhouses were dwellings which had straw thatched roofs and included areas where the animals or livestock were housed. There were no chimneys - and a peat fire was kept burning in the central living and kitchen area "Whitehouses" really only came into existence later when legal pressures and health regulations started to demand that the livestock should be housed in separate dwellings. Arnol Village on The Move The village or settlement of Arnol has "moved" several times - from the seashore where you can still see the oval ended stone houses. In 1795 the then landlord - quite an important man - McKenzie from Seaforth saw the need to move further inland. After this there were a few more moves until the move to the current ridge in 1853.

The Arnol Black House is huge inside you can see that this is because it wasn't only a home to the family that lived here but also a home for their cattle, pigs and even a horse.

Thick Stone Walls
The thick stone walls and earthen floor absorbed the heat of the fire. The earth core of the walls was good for insulation and also served to keep out the draughty chill winds. The turf and thick thatch, heavy with soot, were also good insulates.

Term - Blackhouses and Whitehouses
The blackhouse were only called as such when the more modern houses were built and as a means of identifying the two types of houses - the terms "Blackhouses" and "whitehouses" were borne

Thatched Roof
The thatched roof has been restored. The blackhouses typically were constructed with a double dry stone wall. Wooden rafters were used - the floor was earth and the roof made with straw As there wasn't a chimney, the smoke and soot from the peat fires just drifted upwards into the thatched roof.

The roof was re thatched every year, the old thatch was used as fertiliser. The thatch would have been kept secure by old fishing nets or twine attached to large rocks. The weight of these rocks held down the thatch. Where the bottom of the roof met the inner wall even more rocks would have been laid and attached.

The Entrance to the Blackhouse
The entrance to the blackhouse was used by both people and the animals - there is a "half stable like door which when you go through leads to the kitchen/living area - which even also contains a bed housed in a kind of box which is curtained off.

Kitchen and Living Area
The picture opposite shows just how smoky the atmosphere was in the blackhouses. you can see in the picture - at the left hand side is a long bench were some of the family would sit to chat or watch the cooking. Behind the sweet curtains is even a "bed" In the living area there was most probably always a "weaving loom" as weaving was of great importance to the islanders.

The Blackhouse Museum
This museum is run by Historic Scotland - walk round the blackhouse to see how the people lived - alongside the animals and without chimneys.

Then the Whitehouse
If you then wander opposite to a slightly more modern "whitehouse" furnished as it would have been in the 1950's. The whitehouses didn't have the animals housed inside and had chimneys, fireplaces and many more modern features. I wonder if the residents who moved from the Blackhouse were excited at the thought of moving to the more modern dwelling?

Communal - Family Atmosphere In the Blackhouse
Looking at the blackhouse from the outside the Black House is long and narrow, its main feature is a thatched roof made of twigs and heather and overlaid with straw. The building is constructed from local stones with no cement between the stones

Although the design of blackhouses dates back a long way and there would have been blackhouses in existence for many hundreds of years - the Blackhouse here at Arnol was probably built as recently as 1875. There have had to be a certain amount of "modernisation" - like for instance the roof - which in times gone by would have been re thatched every year - whereas the present blackhouse roof has clearly been more sturdily built to suit the tough weathers for at least a few years hence - however when you walk round the blackhouse you can still get a real sense of how the people lived in these dwellings.

The smoky atmosphere and bedding and livestock arrangements really bring it home to you - just how "communal" these family houses were.

Barn and Byre
A further room for animals that would have held pigs and sheep and even the odd cow. The animals didn't live here permanently but instead were only brought inside when the weather was bad. The cow etc were housed under the same roof as the humans - usually only during the winter months - particularly their "cow" as the milk was so important to the family - they tried to keep the animals really healthy - as well as the fact that the animals also created added "heat" for the house.

The Byre
The urine from the animals drained into the land and the ammonia assisted in sterilizing the house (what a thought!)

Fertiliser
Each spring the byre was cleaned and the manure was placed on the crops as fertiliser. Human waste would also be gathered to use as fertiliser. The urine was used for treating fabrics such as tweed. There weren't any troughs at all - the cows being tied by ropes to a pole

Threshing - Sheaves
The barn floor is clayed at the point where threshing was done with the flail. - sheaves were laid, insulated from the damp of the floor. Sheaves were acquired from the yard outside at the end of the house and lifted to the thatch around the window-opening and just slung into the barn.

Tools - Farm Implements
Small hand tools - sickles, spades, rakes, scythes, peat cutting irons, and barrels and chests to hold food for the hens and animals were housed in the barn area - even the sheep fleeces in springtime would have been stored here before being sold