Blackhouses and a Sad Ending

In Gearrannan on Lewis there is a reconstruction of a Blackhouse village (link). Although there are no remaining blackhouses more than 150 years old it is thought that the building style of dry stone walling could have been used for at least a 1,000 years. So they would be quite suitable for dark ages/medieval games as well as the Jacobite rebellions.




As I traveled around the countryside in Harris and Lewis I was struck by the number of CWG (Commonwealth Ear Graves)signs on many of the small cemeteries. It turned out that most were as a results of the shipwreck just off Stornoway harbour of the HMY Iolaire bringing servicemen back from WW1. Out of the 280 on board only 75 survived and almost every community was affected. (wiki)

There is a nice memorial and model in the Calmac terminal in Stornoway.