Blackhouse, Arnol, Isle of Lewis (Scottish Highlands and Islands)
A traditional thatched house that provides a unique insight into the island life of the Western Isles
Introduction
A traditional, fully furnished, Lewis thatched house which provides a unique insight into island life.
No. 42 Arnol is a precious relic – the residence of a Hebridean crofting family and their animals, preserved almost as the family left it when they moved out in 1966. For hundreds of years it was the custom in Lewis for man and beast to be housed under the same roof. In 1966 there was a good number of Hebridean blackhouses still in use as homes; today none are left. This is why no. 42 Arnol is unique and precious. It is much more than just a thatched house – it remains the sole representative of a way of life once so common but now altogether gone.
There is also an attached barn, byre and stackyard. Beside the blackhouse, a furnished 1920s whitehouse and a ruined blackhouse can also be seen. The visitor centre has interpretative displays and a shop. There are Gaelic speaking staff available on site.
History to the present day
Arnol has a settlement history reaching back more than 2,000 years. Yet the houses forming the present township, Baile an Truiseil, have only been in their current positions for a little over a century. The original site of Arnol was down by the seashore, in the area above the rocky beach called Mol a’ Chladaich. Here the ruins of small, oval-ended stone houses are still visible. The move inland was instigated in 1795 by the then landlord, Mackenzie of Seaforth. There have been three ‘new’ Arnols since then. The move to the present ridge occurred as recently as 1853. The blackhouse, taigh-dubh, at no. 42 Arnol was built around 1880.
Two aspects of a blackhouse make it very different from a modern house. It was a residence for animals as well as people, and there was no chimney. Having animals ‘living in’ had its advantages. It made the house warmer and meant fewer buildings were needed. The smoke rising from the peat fire into the roof also had hidden benefits. It killed bugs, and the smoke-laden thatch made excellent fertiliser for the fields.
The blackhouse comprises a living room, aig an teine (literally ‘at the fire’), a bedroom, a’ chulaist, a byre, bathaich, and a barn, sabhal. The peat fire in the centre of the living room was the centre of family life and was never allowed to go out.
All homes built in Arnol up to 1900 were blackhouses. These double-walled dwellings were simply called taighean (‘houses’). But new health regulations required the complete separation of byre and dwelling end by a wall, with no internal communication. So a new type of house appeared, built with single-thickness walls cemented with lime mortar. It presented such a contrast that people coined the term taigh-geal ‘white house’. The term taigh-dubh ‘black house’ was then applied to the old houses.
The white house at no. 39 Arnol – across the road from the blackhouse at no. 42 –is also in Historic Scotland’s care. It is instantly recognisable as a house constructed in a style more familiar to us today. It has solid walls, windows that open, a pitched roof and chimneys.
Arrival information and how to find us
Address: Blackhouse, Arnol, Isle of Lewis, Scottish Highlands and Islands, , United Kingdom
Opening times:
1 April - 30 September: Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm
1 October - 31 March: Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9.30am to 4.30pm
Closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day & 1-2 January.
Admission prices:
Adult £2.50, Child £1.50, Concession £2.00
Directions: The property is located in Arnol village, Isle of Lewis, 18km norh west of Stornoway on the A858.
Public Transport: Regular ferries from Ullapool to Stornoway. Take Caledonian MacBrayne ferry No.26 (Lewis) to Stornoway – 2hrs 45 mins.
Walk 4 minutes to Stornoway.
From Stornoway bus station take Galson Motors bus No.W2 to Arnol Phonebox – 1hr 15 mins. Walk 17 mins to Blackhouse.
