Village. General view from West.

Description Village. General view from West.

Date 7/1986 to 1986

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number B 11353

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 794007

Scope and Content St Kilda, Western Isles, from west This is a general view of the area of settlement on St Kilda. The area is low-lying, with the best-drained soil on the island. In the 1830s the local minister, Reverend Neil Mackenzie, carried out 'improvements' in Village Bay. All the arable land was protected by a stone wall, the 'head dyke', which surrounds the area. At the same time Mackenzie had the ground drained and divided into strips which were shared between the tenants. The tenants were also encouraged to build new houses on their strips of land, thereby creating a 'street', seen in the middle of the image. These 1830s houses were replaced by new houses in the 1860s following a hurricane which damaged the traditional 'black houses' in the village. The St Kilda group of islands consists of Hirte (often known as St Kilda), Soay, Dun and Boreray. The islands are situated 64km to the west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, and are one of the remotest areas in Britain. The largest island, Hirte, is approximately 1,575 acres in extent. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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