Black House

The Black House (Gaelic: tigh dubh; German: black house ) is the English name for a traditional type of house in the Highlands of Scotland, the Hebrides, Ireland and the territories of Celtic settlements in Nova Scotia. It was usually constructed of a double wall dry-stone walls, the space filled with soil or peat. The wooden roof beams were covered with sod or reed. The floor was usually made of stone or a dirt. Usually in the middle of the living room there was a central hearth in which a fire was burning permanently. Usually peat was used for fuel. The roof had no flue, the smoke went through the roof. In the gable foods were kept as they were preserved by the smoke and lack of oxygen.

The Black House provided space for both humans and livestock. People and animals lived on opposite sides of the house, with a partition between them.

The Black House were used until the 1970s, and as people moved into modern homes, these houses fell into disrepair. Meanwhile, again increasingly Blackhouses restored, especially as holiday accommodation.