2008

NB3411 : Ruined blackhouse at Stiomrabhaig

taken 16 years ago, near to Orasaigh, Isle of Lewis And Harris, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scotland

Ruined blackhouse at Stiomrabhaig
Ruined blackhouse at Stiomrabhaig
The census of 1851 shows that the village consisted of 16 dwellings and supported a population of 81. By 1858 there were none. Clearances had been well underway in the area during the first half of the 19th century; many of them brutal and uncaring. The residents of Stiomrabhaigh were better placed of than most, having leases directly with the land owner. But when these expired, they accepted an offer of crofts in Leumrabhagh. Lewis was relatively prosperous right up until World War I, which put an end to the herring trade with Russia and Eastern Europe and in spite of the clearances, the increasing population put pressure on land. There were numerous requests to resettle Stiomrabhaigh, all of which were resisted by the landowners and it was not until 1921 when Lord Leverhulme abandoned his ambitious plan for Lewis that crofters returned to the township. Even the resettlement was marked with tragedy as two young men were drowned while transporting household goods from Calbost. These settlers were never officially recognized as crofters by the government; they received no help and no road was built to the township. Given the difficulties of living without facilities, over the next twenty years, a number of the families drifted back to Leumrabhagh. At the start of World War II only two families remained and by the end of the 1940’s, Stiomrabhaigh was once again deserted. Today there is much of the township to be seen; its ruined buildings, lazybeds and field walls standing in splendid isolation between the moor and the sea.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Richard Barrett and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Ruins > Ruins
This photo is linked from: Galleries: · Tweeted from @geograph_bi in December 2014 ·
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Grid Square
NB3411, 3 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Richard Barrett   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 10 April, 2008   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 31 May, 2008
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NB 346 115 [100m precision]
WGS84: 58:0.8269N 6:29.6464W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NB 348 115
View Direction
West-northwest (about 292 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph (First for NB3411) · First in 5 Years (TPoint) (about)
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