Scottish Tour Guide's Blog » South Uist

Visit Cladh Hallan Round Houses, Visit Scotland

catswhiskers — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:49:20 +0000

This evening, I am posting information on the Cladh Hallan Bronze Age site on South Uist, Outer Hebrides.

From around 2000 BC to AD 1300 this coastal site. comprising machair and shifting sand dunes, was heavily populated with barley the main crop.

Tour Barra and Uist, Tour Scotland

catswhiskers — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:29:02 +0000

Castlebay, Barra, Scotland

This morning, we arrived at Castlebay after an 11 hour crossing from Oban on the Scottish mainland.This journey had taken twice the normal time due to delays caused by severe weather conditions.

Cladh Hallan Round Houses,South Uist, Scotland

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

This evening, I am posting information on Cladh Hallan round houses.

The stones (in the video) mark the walls of three round houses and part on an outhouse (smokery) dating from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (1100-200 BC). There is a similar outhouse about 100m to the North West dating from about 200BC. These houses formed the northern end of a terrace of probably six or seven houses. The whole settlement was 80m long and most of it remains buried beneath the big sand dune in the south.

All the houses had sunken floors and thick cored walls revetted with stones. The roofs came down to knee-height on their outside walls and were probably made of large driftwood timber, covered by turf and straw..

Another five houses have been excavated on other areas of the settlement.

North House: This was rebuilt twice. Cremated human bones inside suggest it may have been the ‘house of the dead’.

Middle House: This is the largest and most important. It was occupied continuously for 900 years and rebuilt 7 times between 1100BC and 200BC. One of the longest inhabited prehistoric houses in the world. Owner/occupiers presumed wealthy.

South House:This is the smallest and poorest house. It was occupied for only a short time around 1100BC.