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Arnol White House

Ursula Schmitz

16/02/2023

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

Arnol No 39 right opposite the Arnol Blackhouse is a “White House” which can also be visited. The cottage is furnished as it was in the 1950s and shows the world into which blackhouse residents moved.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

A different type of house appeared when new health regulations required byre and dwelling to be separated by a wall. The single-walled dwellings cemented with lime mortar were such a contrast they were called taigh-geal (‘white house’). The term taigh-dubh (‘blackhouse’) was used to describe the old houses from then on. (Historic Enviroment Scotland)

The White House at No 39 was built in the 1920s and lived in until 1976. It looks like a modern-day house. It has solid walls. windows that open, chimneys and a pitched roof.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

After visiting the White House I did another walk around Arnol, this time I went to the nature reserve, not to look out for birds, but just to enjoy the beautiful landscape.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

And I found more remains of blackhouses, like this one – where a modern house was built next to a white house that was built next to a blackhouse. I always loved to see these little “stairs” leading up to the former thatched roof.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

View of the three houses next to each other.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

Blackhouse used as a playground, such a lovely idea.

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

A watchful neighbour looking out…

From the Arnol White House to the remains of other blackhouses.

The Arnol Blackhouse

Ursula Schmitz

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14/02/2023

It was time to visit the restored Arnol Blackhouse finally. Or taigh-dubh as a blackhouse is called in Gaelic.

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

Right next to the blackhouse is a little information centre and tiny shop, telling more about the blackhouse and the people who used to life there. I really enjoyed seeing this overview of the house.

A blackhouse usually comprised a long narrow building, often with one or more additional buildings laid parallel to it and sharing a common wall. The walls were made from an inner and outer layer of unmortared stones, the gap between them filled with peat and earth. The roof would be based on a wooden frame, resting on the inner stone walls, giving the very characteristic wall-ledge. (Undiscovered Scotland)

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

The blackhouse didn´t have a chimney, the smoke of the peat fire would find its way out through the thatches and also helped keep insects at bay.

The smoked thatch was also an excellent fertiliser and was used on the fields after it was stripped down and renewed every year.

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

The animals would be on one side of the house with earth flooring, without any flagged floors like in the living areas. The whole design of the blackhouses was based on the housing we know from Skara Brae 5000 years ago, but the houses themselves were built more recently. This specific at Arnol No 42 was built in 1875.

And in 1960 there were still nine blackhouses in use in Arnol: while the group now restored as the blackhouse village at Gearrannan, further along the coast, was only abandoned in 1974. (Undiscovered Scotland)

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

The Arnol Blackhouse at No 42 gives a good insight on how living in a blackhouse might have been, even if it is a slightly “cleaned up” version. The thatched roof is built differently and wallpaper had been removed. But one still smells the smoke of the peat fire and this smell lingers in the clothes forever.

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

On the other side of the road there is not only a “White House” included in your visit (see next blog post) but also the remains of other blackhouses, which had a bit different layouts.

Visiting the Arnol Blackhouse on the Isle of Lewis.

View back to the Blackhouse at No 42.

Arnol

Ursula Schmitz

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09/02/2023

Walking around Arnol in Lewis and looking for all the blackhouses.

I arrived in Arnol, a little village on the Isle of Lewis to visit the Arnol Blackhouse, but was too early for my slot. And little did I know that there are so many remains of Blackhouses in Arnol. I used my time to walk around the village and look for all the blackhouses and how they are used today.

Walking around Arnol in Lewis and looking for all the blackhouses.

Parked at the Arnol Blackhouse and started my walk around…

Walking around Arnol in Lewis and looking for all the blackhouses.

Arnol is situated on the west coast of Lewis and is a pretty typical settlement, maybe except for the number of blackhouses that are still to be found.

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. (Wikipedia)

Walking around Arnol in Lewis and looking for all the blackhouses.

The Arnol Blackhouse museum at No 42 is a great example of how people used to live, it is still in the conditions after the former residents moved out in the 1960s. Around this time the Historic Environment, which cares for the Arnol Blackhouse, asked the residents to not destroy the other remains of blackhouses or reuse the stones for other buildings.

Walking around Arnol in Lewis and looking for all the blackhouses.