Overview
Gain a unique insight into island life at no. 42 Arnol. This traditional, fully furnished thatched house once sheltered a family and its animals under the same roof.
The ruined blackhouse at no. 39 can also be seen, together with the 1920s ‘white house’ that replaced it. White houses – in which a wall separated byre and dwelling – replaced many blackhouses around this time.
Gaelic-speaking members of staff are usually on hand to answer queries about the crofting life on Lewis.
What to see and do
- Smell the peat smoke – even today the fire at the heart of the blackhouse is never allowed to go out
- Peek inside the cosy box-beds in the bedroom, still complete with their original fabrics and furnishings
- See the byre just as it was left in 1966, only without the cows
- Imagine how living in the white house would have compared to life in the blackhouse
- Complete our Explorer Quiz or Working Life Quiz (also available in Gaelic)
