Croft Houses

Most of the croft houses in Ormsaigbeg were built about half way between the shore and the wall that separated off the common grazing, so they have fine views out across the Sound. The oldest buildings, often called 'black houses', were long and narrow, and contained a single room, one end of which was used by the family, the other by their animals. Rudh Dubh at Portuairk, which can be rented through Steading Holidays, is an example of a black house.

In a typical black house, the walls were built entirely of stone with the gaps filled with peat, the floor was laid with flags, and the roof consisted of a timber frame overlain by turves and thatch, the latter held down with pieces of old fishing net. No gap was left for a chimney, so the soot accumulated - hence the 'black'. If there were any windows they were small and closed with wooden shutters, so the room was always dark.

A look at the gable end of some local croft houses shows how the original cottage had a storey added. This one, Post Beag, has not been renovated and is typical of Ormsaigbeg croft houses. Its walls, which slope gently inwards, are a good two foot thick, and have little in the way of foundations - the don't really need them as they sit on solid rock - it has a Ballachulish slate roof, and is painted white, a 'tradition' that is only about 200 years old. The interior consists of two rooms upstairs and two down, the porch being a relatively recent addition. When it was last permanently occupied, it housed a mother, father and at least five children. It is currently for sale.

When the road was built in the 1940s, it was such a novelty, so exciting, that the crofters asked that it run close in front of each house. Only one asked that it miss his house, the one that Alasdair Connell now occupies.