Outer Hebrides: Arnol Blackhouse
Arnol is a tiny village on the west coast of the island of Lewis, most exposed to the pounding waves and winds of the open Atlantic, there is nothing from here to America. Here, there are several ruined, and one intact traditional blackhouse, that people on Hebrides used to live in a couple centuries ago. While the ruins and stone walls look somewhat similar to Iron Age structures, they are all relatively recent, some being still inhabited as far back as 1970s. They all have super thick double stone walls, filled with straw in between the stone layer for warmth. The roofs are thatched and both animals and people lived inside, although at different ends of the building. All the cooking was done inside. Peat was used for burning, abundant here on the island of Lewis. The buildings have low above ground profiles to protect as much as possible against the ever present North Atlantic winds.
