In summer 2023 we had a wonderful and atmospheric photoshoot at the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village on the Isle of Lewis. Until the beginning of the 1900s the majority of the population of Lewis lived in low, stone-built, thatched dwellings called blackhouses. During the 20th century the islanders began to build two-up, two-down crofthouses, replacing the blackhouses with more comfortable and spacious accommodation. Evidence of blackhouses disappeared more quickly on the east side of the island, where stone is scarce and the remains of the old house would often be repurposed into the foundations of the new.

The village of Gearrannan is situated on the west coast of Lewis and was preserved because it remained a working village until the early 1970s, when the last residents were moved to modern accommodation. At that point the site was declared a conservation area and subsequently converted into a museum which gives a valuable and accurate insight into Hebridean life in the era of the blackhouse.

As well as visiting the museum and walking around the village, you can also experience a unique overnight stay in a traditional Hebridean blackhouse on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Click here to find out more.