The South

Today I headed to the southern end of the mainland. I first visited the Crofthouse Museum. This is unassumingly situated in the middle of other homes and farms. The crofthouse dates from 1880, but was still in use up until 1960. 

Cleit for storing farming tools

there was a serious lack of trees in Shetland

so people had to depend on driftwood to use for 

building. You can see the marks from 

the sea on this wood. 

the workshop

The 'ben' end is where the family would

have lived. 

Peat stacks for the fire

The croft house still in remarkable shape

There is evidence that this crofthouse was once part of a township or village community but the other homes have all since fallen down and only their foundations remain. 

From the Crofthouse Museum, I headed further south to Jarlshof. Jarlshof is an interesting place. Not to mention having to drive over the airport runway to get to it. Unlike Skara Brae, Jarlshof houses evidence of several centuries of life in the area. 

There is an early settlement, dating back to about 4000 years ago, it is similar to Skara Brae, but on a much smaller scale. 

Each home had a quern for grinding grain

There is also evidence of Bronze and Iron Age structures, including a "smithy" 

Moving forward in time, there is a wheel house, with 'rooms' separated by columns. 

 There is also evidence of a broch 

And a medieval farm

And from the 17th century, a Laird's House

Walter Scott, on seeing the ruins of the Earl's House, commented on how desolate it was, calling it "a most dreary mansion." He went on to pen his novel "The Pirate" and in that book, he called the house Jarlshof. Jarlshof now refers to the entire excavated area. 

There is some thought that these stones scattered throughout

 the yard might be memorial stones for people lost at sea

The fascinating thing about Jarlshof is that it was used as a settlement, and then reused several times over by differing time frames.