St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
CULTURALHERITAGE EXTRACT
1
The Village with a snow-clad Mullach Sgar
From the Office of the First Minister
Few who have been to St Kilda and stood in
the Village surrounded by the cries of a million
seabirds can fail to have been moved by the place
and its story. This tiny Hebridean archipelago is a
place of drama, a place apart. Its inaccessibility
amplifies its remoteness creating a perception
of being âat the edge of the worldâ.
While the steep cliffs and pounding seas around
the archipelago give a sense of the overwhelming
power of nature, the very visible remains of human
habitation can only fill the visitor with a sense of
awe and respect for past generations of
inhabitants.
St Kilda stands for isolated societies the world
over. The extraordinary spirit of the place comes
from the imprint left after the ultimate failure,
largely through external pressures, of a way of life.
The twin aspects â a peopleâs resilience in a
hostile environment, and the contrasting fragility of
traditional ways of life in the face of overwhelming
social and economic change â give the place its
emotional power and universal applicability.
It is because of these reasons that I commend this
revised nomination for the inscription of St Kilda on
the World Heritage List to ensure it is cared for
and preserved for future generations.
Chan eil mòran a tha air cuairt a ghabhail a Hiort,
agus air seasamh âs a bhaile a-measg glaodh
millean eun-mara, nach robh air an gluasad leis an
Ă ite agus a sgeul. Tha am buidheann beag eileanan
seo an Innse Gall mar Ă ite gu turr eadar-
dheallaichte, mar Ă ite air leth. Tha ĂŹomhaigh aig
mòran mu na h-eileanan gu bheil iad âaig oir an t-
saoghailâ bhon a tha iad cho iomallach agus cho
duilich faighinn thuca.
Fhads a tha na creagan cas agus aâ mhuir
fhiadhaich mu na h-eileanan a toirt beachd air
cumhachd nĂ dair, chan Ăšrrainn do luchd tadhail
ach urram agus meas fhaireachdainn airson gach
ginealach de mhuinntir Hiort a dhâfhalbh, nuair a
chĂŹth iad na tha air fhagail de an cuid togalaichean.
Tha Hiort na eisimpleir do chomainn iomallach air
feagh an t-saoghal. Tha spiorad miorbhaileach an
Ă ite a tighinn bhon chomharradh a chaidh fhagail
nuair a thà inig dòigh beatha na Hiortaich gu crÏoch
mu dheireadh, âs a mhòr chuid air sĂ illeibh
cuideaman bhon taobh a-muigh. Còmhla tha an dĂ
phuing â misneachd nan daoine ann an tĂŹr gun
truas, agus dòighean beatha traidiseanta, lag an
aghaidh atharraichean sòisealta agus
eaconomaiceach â a toirt cumhachd sònraichte
agus beachd shaoghalta dhan Ă ite.
Airson na reusain seo tha mi aâ moladh an t-
ainmeachadh seo, le ath-sgrĂšdadh, airson Hiort a
chuir ri Liosta Dualchas an t-Saoghail, airson
dèanamh cinnteach gun teid a chÚram a ghabhail
agus gum bidh e air a dhĂŹon airson na
bliadhnaichean a tha romhainn.
Jack McConnell MSP
2
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Contents
1. Identification of Property
5
a. Country
b. State, Province or Region
c. Name of Property
d. Exact location on map and location of geographical co-ordinates to the nearest second
e. Maps and/or plans showing boundary of area proposed for inscription and of any buffer zone
f. Area of site proposed for inscription (ha) and proposed buffer zone (ha) if any
2. Justification for inscription
9
a. Statement of Significance
b. Comparative analysis
c. Authenticity/integrity
d. Criteria under which inscription is proposed (and justification for inscription under those criteria)
3. Description
25
a. Description of property
b. History and development
c. Form and date of most recent records of site
d. Policies and programmes related to the presentation and promotion of the property
4. Management
49
a. Ownership
b. Legal status
c. Protective measures and means of implementing
d. Agency/agencies with management authority
e. Level at which management is exercised and name and address of responsible person for
contact purposes
f. Agreed plans related to property
g. Sources and levels of finance
h. Sources of expertise and training in conservation and management techniques
i. Visitor facilities and statistics
j. Site Management Plan and statement of objectives
k. Staffing levels
3
5. Factors affecting the site
61
a. Development pressure
b. Environmental pressures
c. Natural disasters and preparedness
d. Visitor/tourism pressure
e. Number of inhabitants within site
6. Monitoring
67
a. Key indicators for measuring state of conservation
b. Administrative arrangements for monitoring property
c. Results of previous reporting exercises
7. Documentation
71
a. Photographs, slides and, where available, film/video
b. Copies of site management plans and extracts from other plans relevant to the site
c. Selected bibliography
d. Address where inventory, records and archives are held
8. Signed on behalf of State Party
98
Acknowledgements
Image acknowledgements
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
2
3
1. Soay lambs
2. Stac Biorach
3. Grey seal
4. Meadow and Main Street
5. Boreray
6. Kelp
7. Atlantic puffin
7
5
5
6
â
â
1
Identification of Property
4
Whatever he studies, the future observer of St Kilda
will be haunted the rest of his life by the place and
tantalised by the impossibility of describing it, to
those who have not seen it.
James Fisher 1947
6
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
Tunnel
Tunnel
Tun
nel
0
1 mile
0
1 km
Hirta
Dun
Levenish
Boreray
Stac Lee
Stac an Armin
Soay
Bradastac
Stac
Soay
Am Plasdair
Sgarbhstac
Sgeir
Mhor
An Torc
Giasgeir
Uamh Cailleach Bheag Ruaival
Hamalan
Na Bodhan
Levenish lies 2.8 kms
(1.75 miles) E.N.East
of Gob an Duin
Sgeir Cul
an Rubha
Rubha
Mhuirich
Laimhrig
nan Gall
Point of
Coll or
Rubha Challa
Rubha an Uisge
Rubha Ghill
Am Bro
ig
Stac a' Langa
Mol
Ghiasgar
Sgeir Dhomhnaill
Sgeir nan Sgarbh
Min Stac
Na
Cleitean
Gob na
h-Airde
Leac Mhin Stac
Mol
Carn na
Liana
Baghan
Stac
Biorach
Stac
Dona
Mol
Shoay
Ge
o C
ha
im
bi
r
Sgeir
Mhor
Go
b
Ch
ath
ail
l
Rubha Bhriste
An t-Sail
Am Biran
Gearr-geo
Udraclete
Gob Phursan
Gob na
h-Airde
Gob
a' Ghaill
Creagan
Cave
Rubha Bhrengeadail
Coinneag
Creagan
Fharspeig
Creagan na
Rubhaig Bana
Mullach an Tuamail
Na Sgarain
Gob an Duin
Gob na Muce
Giu
machsgor
The Boreray island group lies 6.1 kms
(3.8 miles) N. East of Leac Mhin Stac
Village Bay
or
Loch
Hirta
Loch
a'Ghlinne
or Glen Bay
Poll Adinet
Tobar
nam
Buaidh
Well
Tobar na Gille
Geo Gharran
Buidhe
Geo Leibli
Sei
lig
Geo
Geo
na Ru
ideig
Geo
Ghi
asg
eir
A'
Ch
ias
gei
r
Am
hu
inn
R ua
ival
Am
hu
in
n
Gl
esh
gil
Geo
Ru
bh
a
Mhu
ric
h
Am
hu
inn
M
hor
Geo Bra
baby
Geo nan Sgarbh
Geo na Muir-bhuaile (Bream)
Geo na Lee
Ge
o a
n t
-Sa
mh
Ge
o n
a h
-A
ird
e
Ge
o O
sca
r
Geo Sgeir ChĂ ise
Beul
na Geo
Geo
na
Stac
an
Geo na Laisealaich
Geo Chaluim Mhic Mhuirich
Am
hu
inn
Gh
lin
ne
M
hoi
r
Am
hu
in
n
A
llt
ar
hc
an
ae
ri
E
n
a
oe
G
dia
pr
A
n
a
ga
er
C
oe
G
lliu
pa
C
an
oe
G
esia
lG
aB
an
oe
G
Geo Shunadail
Geo na Tarnanach
Geo
na
Lea
chan
Mo
ire
Geo
an
Ara
ich
Geo
Sga
rbhs
tac
Gob Scapanish
Clesgor
Geo
Phu
rsan
Geo Rubha
Glamasgeo
Geo Chile Brianan
Geo an Fhe
achdaire
Geo a' Bhroig
e
Geo na Eaig
e
Ge
o n
an
Pla
idean
Geo n
an
Ron
Geo Ch
ruad
aha
in
Geo
Bhradastac
Bioda
Mor
176m
Altar
A' Bhi 113m
29m
26m
218m
39m
22m
289m
282m
272m
355m
121m
355m
430m
72m
211m
163m
32
1m
236m
166m
135m
178m
Claigeann
Mor
Carn
Mor
Am
Blaid
Glacan
Chonachair
Claigeann an
Taigh Faire
Leathad
a' Ghlinne
94m
149m
379m
191m
339m
308m
373m
Pursan
a' Chaim
Taigh
Dugan
The Altar
Tobar
Ruadh
289m
124m
.
56m
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
.
144m
179m
.
.
.
.
.
.
Mu
llac
h Sg
ar
Leathaid a'
Sgithoil
Chaoil
Mullach
Geal
Lag
Bho'n
Tuath
The
Cambir
Su
na
da
l
M
ul
la
ch
an
E
ile
in
Cnoc Glas
Taigh
Stallar
Bothy
Bothy
Bothies
Mullach
Bi
Oiseval
Conachair
Mullach
Mor
G
le
an
n
M
or
Ruaival
Radar
Station
Pier
Lover's
Stone
Amazon's
House
Mistress Stone
Clash na
Bearnaich
St. Brianan's Chapel
Kiln
Calum
Mor's
House
Medieval
House
Saw
Pit
The
Gap
Cleitein McPhaidein
The
Village
Surfaced road
Village "street"
Building
Cleitein
Stone enclosure
Dyke
Well
Contour (30 metres) /cliff
River/stream
Sandy beach
St Kilda
N
WE
' Wendy Price Cartographic Services, Inverness, 2002.
Map based on the 1928 Ordnance Survey map with additions
from aerial photography kindly supplied by Photoair through
Scottish Natural Heritage. Whilst every care has been taken
to ensure that the map is correct, it should not be used in a
situation where a high degree of detail is required.
Hirta
Soay
Boreray
Levenish
Dun
0
0
2 miles
5 km
a. Country
United Kingdom
c. Name of Property
St Kilda (Hirta)
b. State, Province
or Region
Western Isles
Scotland
7
d. Exact location on map and
location of geographical
co-ordinates to the nearest
second
The nominated property is the St Kilda archipelago
and the surrounding sea, lying 64 km west of
North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, the central point
is located at 57Âş 50â N, 08Âş34âW (NGR â
NA095995). The area proposed for inscription is
contained within the square with co-ordinates:
57Âş54â36âN, 08Âş42â00âW;
57Âş46â00âN, 08Âş42â00âW;
57Âş46â00âN, 08Âş25â42âW;
57Âş54â36âN, 08Âş25â42âW.
e. Maps and/or plans showing
boundary of area proposed
for inscription and of any
buffer zone
f. Area of site proposed for
inscription (ha) and proposed
buffer zone (ha) if any
The total area of the proposed site measures
24,201.4ha, comprising a land area of the St Kilda
archipelago above Mean High Water Spring mark
of 854.6ha, and a sea area measured from Mean
High Water Spring mark out to the boundary of the
site of 23,346.8ha.
Paragraph 17 of the Operational Guidelines for the
Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
makes provision for the identification of a buffer
zone to protect World Heritage Sites from threats
beyond their boundaries. An independent
assessment of potential risks to the nominated site
identified a number of possible threats from
outside the site boundary. Careful consideration
was given by the UK authorities to whether the
identification of a buffer zone would be an
effective tool in managing such risks.
The physical cultural heritage features of the
nominated site are restricted to the terrestrial
areas and therefore the marine areas of the site
constitute, in effect, a buffer zone for these areas.
Through the appropriate existing measures of
protection any risks are minimised by the
measures outlined in the Management Plan, and
by the statutory protection offered by the area's
designation as a National Nature Reserve and
Special Protection Area and prospective
designations of Special Area of Conservation and
(marine) Special Protection Area. The natural
heritage and landscape properties of the site are
also afforded strong protection through the UK's
statutory planning system that directs statutory
policies in relation to Scotland's coasts. This is
further complemented by the powers and duties
vested in Scottish Natural Heritage, the
Government's statutory advisor on nature
conservation and the UK Government's
commitment to carry out a Strategic Environmental
Assessment in advance of any developments
(soon to be enshrined in statute). The whole
nominated site also lies completely within sites
separately identified for protection under European
Law (The âBirds Directiveâ and âHabitats Directiveâ)
for their natural heritage value which affords
protection against any action, within and outwith
the site, that may have an adverse effect on the
features of the site. This range of conservation
designations ensures statutory protection for a
greater area than any possible buffer zone outwith
the nominated site, and protects its setting
adequately. The conclusion was that a buffer zone
would not add to the protection afforded by other
designations and existing regulatory regimes,
reinforced by advocacy to respect the site. Further
information on the range of protective designations
and actions is provided elsewhere in the nomination
document and in the Management Plan.
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the world Heritage Site List
1
2
3
7
1. Kelp and dead manâs fingers
2. Soay rams
3. Cliffs
4. Great skua
5. Souterrain
6. Stac Lee
7. The ruins of Village Street
1
2
3
9
4
5
6
For many, St Kilda is the epitome of an idyllic
community, living in harmony with nature for
hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but ultimately
seduced by the comforts of modern life.
â
â
4
a. Statement of Significance
St Kilda is an amazing place. Each of the three
main components â terrestrial and marine
natural heritage and cultural landscape â is of
outstanding universal value in its own right,
and the sequence of the following text does
not reflect a hierarchy of significance.
Although they were considered separately in
various parts of the original document, the
natural and cultural heritage of St Kilda are
inextricably linked. This extract concentrates
on the cultural heritage.
2
Justification
for inscription
10
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Cultural Heritage
The World Heritage Site inscription of St Kilda for
its cultural heritage qualities was included in the
original Nomination Document, submitted in 1985.
ICOMOS recommended the inscription under
cultural criterion v of the Guidelines. However, the
World Heritage Committee in December 1986
approved only the natural heritage qualities for
inscription, and deferred the case for inscription
for cultural heritage qualities. It was to be another
six years before the Committee adopted the
'cultural landscape' criteria.
A unique combination of special qualities work
together to give St Kilda its universal cultural value.
Most important of these qualities are:
⢠the completeness of fossilised 19th-century
settlement and agricultural remains
⢠the spectacular landscape setting adapted by
people through the millenia
⢠the perceived remoteness of the islands
⢠the vivid story of human endeavour â evidence
of millennia of sustainable use, largely based on
the use of bird resources, followed by declining
viability, principally due to external influences â
on small islands in an extreme climate
⢠and the wealth of documentary evidence from
the 16th century to the time of abandonment,
which provides the means to appreciate and
understand the other main qualities.
To have one or two of these qualities is special,
but to have all is truly unique, resulting in the
iconic status of St Kilda in the international
consciousness.
The almost tangible spirit of the place comes from
the imprint left after the eventual demise, largely
the result of outside influences, of this way of life
after several thousand years. The twin aspects of
peopleâs resilience in inhospitable surroundings,
and the contrasting precarious traditional ways of
life in the face of inexorable social and economic
development give the place its emotive power. St
Kilda is unique, not only in that so much of the
physical evidence of its past culture has survived,
embraced by the spectacular natural landscape,
but that this is complemented by detailed
documentary accounts stretching back four
hundred years and more.
St Kilda is at once stunningly dramatic and acutely
isolated. Its remoteness is accentuated because it
is and always has been difficult to access. There is
a romantic perception of its position as the islands
âat the edge of the worldâ, where the people lived
in harmony with nature. The steep cliffs and
pounding seas around the archipelago give a
sense of the overwhelming power of nature,
against which the very visible remains of human
activity fills visitors with awe and respect for past
inhabitants. But perceptions of St Kilda remain
clouded by those of 19th-century travellers who
were seeking experiences of the sublime, and
whose writing tended to ignore those things that
contradicted their expectations.
In their April 1986 report, ICOMOS set out the
following justification for inclusion under
cultural criterion v:
âThe tiny St Kilda archipelago in the Hebrides
Island is not only one of the biggest
sanctuaries of wildlife and marine life in the
North Atlantic, but also bears testimony to a
coherent ecosystem which has remained
virtually unchanged over 2,000 years of
human occupation.
From the Bronze Age to the evacuation of the
archipelagoâs last inhabitants in 1930, the
islands of Soay, Hirta, and Boreray, and the
islets bordering their coasts have undergone
several periods of human occupation. At
several sites there is evidence of a Christian
influence prior to the Viking invasion, as
illustrated by numerous artefacts from the
10th century. Difficult to date, the conserved
structures â cairns, circular stone formations,
groups of monastic cells and even post-
medieval villages â illustrate a remarkable
persistence of forms of primitive architecture
in a country whose traditional modes of
construction have survived to the
contemporary period.
In the opinion of ICOMOS, the St Kilda
archipelago corresponds perfectly to the
definition of a cultural and natural property
whose value should be taken into
consideration in an evaluation
complementary to that of IUCN.'
2
11
Cultural Landscape
The cultural landscape of St Kilda has been shaped
by the response of a remote island community to
the challenge of survival with access to a very
limited range of resources, particularly the reliance
on birds.
Draped over the dramatic natural landscape is the
relict cultural landscape: layered remains of human
occupation by a population of less than 200 souls.
The density of the visible structures in the
landscape is remarkable, as is the time-depth,
from the remains of the Gleann Mor settlement
dating back perhaps two or three thousand years,
up to the late 19th-century cottages of the Village
Bay settlement. Largely using the natural materials
available, primarily stone, turf and driftwood, the St
Kildans built their dwellings, cleitean (stone
storage huts) and field systems. Some structures,
such as the ancient scree structures or the later
cleitean, may be unique to St Kilda, probably
answering a particular island need; others are of
more recognisable vernacular building types. Taken
together the structures constitute an extremely
well-preserved group, and archaeological survey
and excavation over the past 20 years continues to
demonstrate the significance and potential of the
pre-19th-century archaeology. There are very few
places in the world where there is such a density
and time-depth of remains of what was a simple
rural agricultural system, and St Kilda is
exceptional in boasting this level of survival in
combination with an astonishing wealth of
literature about the lives of the inhabitants, their
stories and their folklore.
The heart of the cultural landscape of St Kilda sits
within the stunning natural amphitheatre of Village
Bay, Hirta. This relict cultural landscape of 1830s
blackhouses and their field systems, and 1860s
improved whitehouses marks the last main phase
of settlement. Dwarfed within the enveloping
crescent of near-vertical hills, the string of houses
along the Street and the segmented field divisions
are a uniquely intact and readily legible example of
a mid- 19th-century planned crofting settlement.
Cleitean on Mullach Bi
â
â
In 1697 the archipelago was visited by
Martin Martin, and his detailed account of
the lifeways of the inhabitants, then
numbering some 180-200, may well represent
the most complete âanthropologicalâ account
of any 17th-century European rural
community.
Andrew Fleming, 2000, âSt Kilda: Family,
Community, and the Wider Worldâ,
J. Anthropol. Archaeol
. 19, 351-2
The village is an outstanding example of a type of
building ensemble or landscape that illustrates a
significant stage in the human history of Scotland:
the establishment of crofting townships and land
allotment, and the restructuring of communities by
remote higher authorities. This led in many cases
directly and indirectly to the mass emigration of
Scots and the creation of the Highland Diaspora
that remains so strong throughout the world.
Similarly, the village remains are the heart of an
almost complete system of a traditional human
settlement and land-use that is representative of
19th-century rural Highland Scottish culture. In
1930 this way of life became the victim of
irreversible change.
For many who visit, it is a life-changing experience
â the start of a lifelong fascination for the place
and its people. The physical remains become even
more moving to those who know something of the
evocative and often poignant stories that so
enhance the spirit of the place, and which have
important lessons for everyone about the
sustainable use of our resources. The constant
international interest in St Kilda shows that it
strikes a chord in the lives of people from all over
the world.
12
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
b. Comparative analysis
Cultural Heritage
The most important cultural qualities of St Kilda
are: the comprehensive and integral nature of its
19th-century settlement remains, the last period of
an occupation extending back thousands of years;
the spectacular landscape setting; the perceived
remoteness of the islands which helps create a
vivid story of human endeavour; and the wealth of
documentary evidence from the 16th century to
the time of abandonment.
19th-century Landscape
The 19th-century cultural landscape was created in
the 1830s and 1860s at a time when the
reorganisation of rural settlements was prevalent
in Scotland, and especially in the Western
Highlands and the Hebridean islands. This was a
key time in the Highland Clearances, notorious in
Scottish history for the forced removal of families
from their homelands and the destruction of their
houses â events that helped create the Highland
Diaspora around the world. But the story on St
Kilda was not part of this often violent tradition.
The village was re-ordered in the early 1830s in a
paternalistic attempt to modernise the housing and
agricultural practices of the St Kildans, and was
carried out with the islandersâ approval and
support. The subsequent rationalisation in the early
1860s, stimulated after damage during a severe
storm, led to the provision of some of the most
modern housing to be found in rural Highland
St Kilda (on the far horizon) from Rodel in the Sound of Harris
2
Scotland at the time. Beyond the village are the
remains of the wider parts of the subsistence
system, with an abundance of cleitean on virtually
every island of the archipelago, coupled with many
structures and dykes associated with the seasonal
grazing tradition.
The Highland township of Auchindrain is the
most intact and best-surviving 18th to 19th-
century nucleated village in Scotland, and has
been an open-air museum since 1975. The
village is unusual in that it was bypassed by
the Highland Clearances, and subsequently
remained almost unchanged in outward
appearance thereafter. Although sometimes
heavily reconstructed, the conservation of the
village has been carried out very sensitively
and with special regard to authenticity, and
enables visitors to appreciate how the
settlement worked and how people lived.
Auchindrain has its roots in medieval times,
and benefits from a good resource of
documentary and oral accounts of daily life.
The township is situated in the valley of a
small Highland glen that remains an
important communication route. It therefore
lacks the remote feel of St Kilda, and the
pattern of buildings is dispersed, in contrast
with the cohesion of the village on Hirta, but
both places share a remarkable degree of
intactness. Auchindrainâs associated
hinterland of fields and other resources, is
nowhere near so well preserved as that spread
over St Kilda.
â
â
13
There are many surviving Scottish examples of the
linear crofting settlement patterns laid out at
around this time, although most have developed or
degraded, almost beyond recognition, since being
established. It is also not uncommon to find
ruinous townships of this time which, like St Kilda,
proved not to be viable. But the St Kilda village is
without doubt the most complete and least altered
site of its type in Scotland, and in this respect is an
excellent example of settlement associated with
what is now a rapidly declining crofting way of life
â a rural tradition of great significance.
The village of Morefield in Ross-shire is a
good example of a linear rural settlement
created at the time of the Improvements of
rural Highland Scotland.
Internationally, there are countless examples of
settlements that failed in the 19th or early 20th-
century, but few, if any, survive as well as that on
St Kilda, particularly in association with their entire
landscape of resource exploitation. Those that do
survive may now be entirely ruinous and
neglected, or are more likely to have been heavily
altered since their original abandonment.
Landscape Setting
The amazing landscape setting, the subject of
hundreds of published photographs, is one of the
principal assets of the cultural landscape of Village
Bay. The sheer scale of the hills within which the
settlement seems to fit perfectly is awe-inspiring.
The lack of the bustle of modern life when
standing in the village street, and the sense of
being enveloped by the hills, is something that is
usually only found in the remotest corners of
mountain ranges. On St Kilda you are standing in
the middle of an almost intact settlement from
nearly two centuries ago, busy with structures from
earlier human activity. No relict historic landscape
of this period can rival St Kilda in this respect.
An awesome landscape
Such is the beautiful description of
Dover Cliff, by Shakespeare; but what
would he have said, could he have looked
down from this precipice in St Kilda, which is
nearly three times higher, and so tremendous,
that one who was accustomed to regard such
sights with indifference, dared not
venture to the edge of it alone?
Edward Stanley, 1838,
A familiar history of
birds; their nature, habits and instincts
(John W. Parker, London)
âTheir greatest treasure on earthâŚâ
The village of Mastad on the Lofoten Islands of
Norway shares remarkable parallels with St Kilda.
For the inhabitants of this remote community the
seabirds that nested on the cliffs surrounding their
village were their greatest treasure. They harvested
the eggs and adult birds and salted the meat to
last them through the winter. Puffin was the
favourite meat, which they hunted with their
unique six toed puffin dog, but razorbills and
guillemots were also caught in nets. As on St Kilda
the feathers provided a source of income from
which they could buy imported goods.
Like St Kilda, arable land was at a premium, and
the landscape forced a radial pattern of field systems
with strong similarities to the village on Hirta. The
lack of a proper harbour, and better opportunities
elsewhere, resulted in the population declining
from about 150 people until it was finally
abandoned by its last inhabitant in 1974.
Corran village linear crofting settlement
14
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
At the Edge of the World
Part of the iconic status of St Kilda relates to its
profound feeling of remoteness. In European
terms it is certainly unusually far from the nearest
landfall with a significant population, to the extent
that the medieval writer John of Fordun (
c
.1380)
thought it was â⌠on the margine of the world âŚâ.
King James IV (1473-1513) thought St Kilda too
remote to include within his kingdom. However, in
world terms there are many more remote places,
including Easter Island (Rapa Nui) â which is not
only arguably the most remote inhabited place in
the world, but had its own story of unsustainability.
The remoteness of St Kilda is therefore relative,
but no less real in terms of difficulty of access,
even today. Before the 1860s, St Kilda was
certainly remote in terms of keeping abreast of
fashions and of changes in agricultural practices
and ways of life. To outsiders it was much more
egalitarian than elsewhere, where decisions were
made at community level rather than individually,
or by being imposed by a landlord. The truth is
much more complicated than that, especially
towards the end of the islandersâ story. The St
Kildans were happy to perpetuate the impression
of simple people living simple lives far from the
rest of civilisation. They knew that this fascinated
the tourists who, from as early as the 1840s,
brought welcome new income to the islanders.
Even today, in common with most places that take
a good deal of effort to get to, St Kilda feels
remote and wild to most visitors, and remoteness
is an essential ingredient in the islandâs story.
Easter Islandâs diminishing resources
The story we currently understand about Easter
Island has some parallels with St Kilda. Easter
Islanders had a similarly meagre existence to the
St Kildans. They too relied for food on a very
restricted diet â mainly on sweet potatoes and
chicken. However, the much more extreme
remoteness of Easter Island led to such a
divergence of cultural traditions from the rest of
humanity, that the sustainability of natural
resources became secondary to the pursuit of
increasingly unsustainable religious practices â
ultimately leading to the demise of the
community.
Tristan da Cunha
There are several similarities between St Kilda
and this remote island group far out in the
southern Atlantic. Populations on both relied
heavily on the seabird harvest, and used
adjacent islands for some of their grazing
animals. Both island groups suffered from a lack
of communications, and have similar histories of
emigration and boating disasters. Both lack safe
anchorage and their economies suffered in the
20th century through a reduced demand for
produce. But Tristan da Cunha lacks the cultural
time-depth of St Kilda, and the preservation of
the cultural landscape of St Kilda is in no way
mirrored on its south Atlantic counterpart.
History of Sustainability
For many, St Kilda is the epitome of an idyllic
community, living in harmony with nature for
hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but ultimately
seduced by the comforts of modern life. It is a
story of long-term sustainability, relying on
remarkably few natural resources, and leading to
the unusual reliance on birds for food and comfort
(oil for lamps, feathers for bedding, and even
puffins for snacks). The islands are littered with
evidence of this way of life, including several
prehistoric and early historic remains of
exceptional preservation in a Western European
context. This perception of simple sustainability
was a picture of St Kilda that was painted by
visitors from early times, but is so vividly captured
in the photographs of the island way of life, caught
for posterity from the early days of photography to
the evacuation in 1930. Few other rural agricultural
communities of this period can have had more
written about them, and we are particularly
fortunate that many traditions and superstitions of
the St Kildans have been handed down to us in
writing, poetry and song.
2
15
Soay sheep
Soay sheep are arguably the oldest and best
preserved cultural artefact in Scotland. They
are believed to be more or less unchanged
since the earliest sheep were domesticated by
Neolithic farmers â perhaps some 7,000 years
ago. The wild ancestors of sheep (an entirely
natural creation) were taken into captivity and
subjected to selective breeding by the early
farmers to form domestic breeds of sheep. In
the same way as any other object fashioned by
the human hand â a rock carving, a building,
an item of clothing, a cultural landscape â
they can be regarded as a cultural artefact.
Any other artefact found in pristine condition,
apparently exactly as used by Neolithic
farmers, would be accorded the highest
significance and subject to rigorous
conservation measures. Soay sheep deserve
this degree of recognition.
1. Vaeroy Bay- Mastad
2. Dividing the northern fulmar catch
16
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
The story of successful use followed by decline
and abandonment is not unusual in island
communities on the western seaboard of Europe.
Mingulay is another example of a Hebridean
economy with a heavy reliance on birds, which
ultimately failed in 1911, while the very remote
island of North Rona was abandoned as early as
1844. Islands along Irelandâs west coast have had
similar fates, and are also considered to be
remote. The monastic community on the World
Heritage Site of Skellig Michael went out of use in
medieval times. Although perhaps not comparable
to St Kilda in terms of economy or social
organisation, it is, however, similarly rare in being a
truly fossil landscape.
Mingulay â âThe near St Kildaâ
The island of Mingulay, towards the southern tip
of the Western Isles, is sometimes referred to as
'the near St Kilda', and in several ways this
comparison is justified. Like St Kilda, Mingulay
was evacuated in the first part of the 20th century
(1911) when the few remaining islanders were
resettled. The island remains deserted apart from
occasional visitors â including members of the
British Royal family, for whom this is a favourite
stopping-off point during their holidays. The
comparison with St Kilda is in part due to the
relative remoteness of Mingulay â not in terms of
distances from other places, but because of the
unreliability of the landing place; even today, like
St Kilda, no matter what transport is being used,
travellers will only be sure of getting there when
their feet touch dry land.
The village on Mingulay survives extremely well,
in part because many of the huddle of
blackhouse shells have been inundated with sand
â often to wall-head height. While being buried in
sand is generally excellent in terms of the long-
term conservation of the remains, it does make it
more difficult for visitors to imagine themselves
standing in the middle of the village when it was
in use â one of the most moving experiences of
St Kilda.
Recent archaeological survey has revealed a
number of significant remains of prehistoric and
later date. Also owned by The National Trust for
Scotland, Mingulay and the adjacent islands are
currently the subject of more detailed
archaeological investigation.
Like St Kilda, fowling was a significant activity in
the lives and economy of the Mingulay islanders,
and the cliffs continue to be home to large
populations of seabirds. However, fishing formed
a larger part of the Mingulay economy, as,
although still dangerous, the waters around
Mingulay are less treacherous than those further
into the Atlantic Ocean.
Mingulay Village is nucleated, and was never
restructured like Village Bay on Hirta. Nor does
the island benefit from anything approaching the
wealth of documentary information that has been
written about St Kilda. Nevertheless, Mingulay is
a place where it is possible to step into the past,
and to enjoy the idyllic peace and tranquillity of
the Hebrides.
Similar in area to Hirta, Mingulayâs (640ha) cliffs are
only about half the height of St Kildaâs. They hold
large colonies of seabirds â more than 8,000 pairs
of northern fulmar, 3,000 black-legged kittiwakes,
thousands of guillemots and razorbills, about 400
shags and two-dozen great skuas. Mingulay has
13 species of breeding seabirds (compared with
17 species on St Kilda), lacking small petrels,
shearwaters, Arctic skua and northern gannet (but
it does have nesting Arctic terns), but supports 18
species of landbird compared with only nine on
Fowling for common guillemots at foot of Conachair
(1831)
2
17
St Kilda. It also has its own distinctive form of
fieldmouse. Grey seals have recently come to
gather to moult on Mingulayâs deserted beaches,
and a few have pupped around its shores since
its inhabitants abandoned the island.
North Rona â âthe Distant Isleâ
Although much smaller in scale (only 120ha in
extent and 107m at the highest point), with much
less spectacular topography, the island of North
Rona bears some similarities to St Kilda. It is
owned by Barvas Estate but managed since 1956
by Scottish Natural Heritage as a National Nature
Reserve. Extremely remote, and with a heavy
reliance on fowling, the small community on
North Rona lived in a cluster of houses of
medieval origin, adjacent to a chapel dating from
the 7th or 8th century . The village was not
affected by the early 19th-century fashion for
restructuring, largely because the island has been
deserted since 1844. This makes the remains of
particular interest in terms of Scottish medieval or
later rural settlement studies.
North Rona has 14 species of seabirds, against St
Kildaâs 17, lacking northern gannet and Manx
shearwater and Arctic skua but having about a
dozen pairs of Arctic terns. There are some 3,500
pairs of northern fulmars and the same number
of black-legged kittiwakes, several thousand
common guillemots and Atlantic puffins, fewer
razorbills, gulls and storm-petrels (both European
and Leachâs), and about 150 pairs of European
shags. No more than 20 pairs of great skua
breed, hemmed in by a colony of almost 1,000
pairs of great black-backed gulls. With more
space the great skuas of St Kilda have increased
in the same time period to about 170 pairs.
Despite its tiny size, North Rona has the same
number of breeding landbirds as St Kilda. It has
no small mammals but, with a third of its area
being a low-lying peninsula, some 1,100 grey seal
pups are born every autumn â very many more
than on the cliff-bound coast of St Kilda.
Due to its small size North Rona has been well
surveyed for plants and it is not surprising
perhaps that it is scant in species compared with
St Kilda. Amongst lower plants for instance, 87
species of lichens have been recorded (compared
with 194 for St Kilda); only eight liverworts and 14
mosses (compared with 56 and 104 respectively
for St Kilda).
1. Township of Mingulay
2. Monastic cell, North Rona
18
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Irish Seaboard Islands
Skellig Michael
The best surviving example of an isolated early
medieval monastic island settlement on the Celtic
fringe of Europe, Skellig Michael gives us clues
about what parts of St Kilda might have looked
like in these early times â from around the 6th to
8th centuries AD. A spartan and very remote
existence, the monks lived on birds, eggs and
fish, along with produce from a sheltered
monastic garden.
The monks lived in cellular beehive structures
made from local materials. Although much later in
date, Calum Mor's house in Village Bay, Hirta,
could represent an evolutionary development of
this type of structure.There is, however, only
circumstantial evidence for the presence of an
Early Christian monastic community on St Kilda.
Skellig Michael was inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 1996.
Innishmurray
Also with very well preserved monastic remains,
but of more typical form, Innishmurray has a long
history of occupation which ended in 1948 with
the evacuation of the last 46 inhabitants. Only
four miles offshore, the island was nevertheless
cut off for weeks at a time during winter, and for
several days each summer.
Like St Kilda, natural resources were relatively
poor and restricted, but on Innishmurray the food
supply was based on fish rather than birds. In the
19th century and up to the evacuation, however,
the economy was mainly based on the sale of
illicit whiskey.
Great Blasket
With a population of up to 200 in the past, Great
Blasket was abandoned on 17 November 1953
after a steady decline. In the early 20th century,
scholars visited and encouraged the islanders to
document their folklore and traditions, and a
strong Irish Gaelic culture was recorded for
posterity â in music, poetry and prose.
Up to the early 19th century rod fishing was
practised, but a new type of boat opened out the
possibilities of fishing on open waters. Other than
in times of food shortages, birds and their eggs
were taken more as a delicacy than as part of the
staple diet.
Although the arrangement of the villages differs,
the house type has similarities with those of St
Kilda's Village Bay. Originally thatched with reeds,
felt was later used for roofing.
Innishmaan
One of the Aran Islands, the geology of
Innishmaan was suitable for creating dykes
around the small fields to protect the meagre
soils from erosion. The resultant landscape has
created an impressive pattern of conjoining fields,
part of a continuing cultural landscape.
Tory Island
The distinctive arc of Village Bay on St Kilda is a
response to the form of the available landscape
and the resources within it. A similar layout
survives, on Tory Island on the west coast of
Ireland, where the arc of the village fits within a
small area of land suitable for agriculture, and a
fan of strip fields emanates from the house plots.
While many of the places cited above have
fascinating stories to tell, St Kilda retains by far
the most evocative physical legacy of a tiny,
remote island community, dwarfed by nature yet
able to live in harmony with its environment until
the values and influences of the wider world
made the islandersâ way of life untenable. Today,
visitors can still stand in the village street and
easily imagine the community in its heyday, and it
is this experience that touches the heart of
everyone who has made the pilgrimage to the
island âat the edge of the worldâ.
2
Tory Island
19
Skellig Michael
20
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Factorâs House â
Interior plan retained, now used
to accommodate the St Kilda Warden and natural
heritage researchers;
Church and Schoolroom â
Re-roofed, repaired,
and restored internally. Services held occasionally
in the church; schoolroom interior restored and
schoolroom furniture used for exhibition purposes;
Store â
Ruin reconstructed to appearance before
destruction in 1918 by German U-boat. Used to
house researchers, and as a store;
Manse â
The only historic building to have been
substantially altered internally without regard to its
historical layout. Provides accommodation for Base
staff, contractors and visitors.
Many other structures along the Street and in the
Village Bay area of Hirta have been carefully
maintained for over 40 years, and retain their
appearance from the time they came into the care
of the NTS. Work Parties regularly undertake like-
for-like repair of unroofed houses, cleitean (mainly
within the Village Bay area) and drystane dykes
(walls). Work Parties also undertake conservation
painting of the gun beside the Store â installed in
1918 following a U-boat attack.
Ministry of Defence Constructions
Even as early as 1957, the NTS was careful to
restrict modern developments to areas least likely
to affect underlying archaeological deposits or to
compromise historic structures. The present Base,
built in 1969, lies in glebe land (associated with the
church) which is shown on 19th-century maps as
being under cultivation, and no significant
structures are thought to have been removed in
order to accommodate the new buildings. Trial
excavations in 1987-88 showed that some areas
had been badly disturbed during the construction,
but also showed little evidence that earlier
deposits had been present in this arable area.
Apart from the main Base, several infrastructure
features have had an impact on the landscape, but
all are removable â albeit at considerable effort in
some cases:
Road â
Single-track concrete road leading from the
Base in Village Bay to the radar facilities on top of
Mullach Sgar and Mullach Mor, likely to remain as
a scar for several decades if removed;
2
c. Authenticity/integrity
Cultural
The authenticity and integrity of the remains on the
islands has been assured through the ownership
and stewardship of The National Trust for Scotland
(NTS). Since 1958, NTS Work Parties have visited
the islands to undertake the conservation of the
principal buildings and ruins. Even from early days,
this work was carried out according to the best
conservation practices of the time. Great regard
was paid to the authenticity of the appearance of
the buildings and materials used in their construction
â albeit with a small degree of compromise to
allow for the availability of materials and more
modern health and safety requirements.
In 1957, just 27 years after the evacuation of
the population, the significance of the remains
of the village was recognised. The Royal Air
Force was at this time establishing their Base
on Hirta, and were planning to use the stone
from the houses of the Street as road
bottoming. However, representatives of the
Nature Conservancy and the NTS fought
vigorously against this, and thereby secured
the future of the remains.
In order to make it possible for Work Parties and
researchers to be able to use the islands, a number
of buildings have been re-roofed and re-constructed
â very largely in accordance with their original
appearance. They have been fitted out internally
for modern needs but in a way that is reversible.
The first six houses of the Street are used for the
benefit of short- and long-term visitors:
No. 1 â
Kitchen, communal area, and Leaderâs
accommodation for Work Parties;
No. 2 â
Female Work Party membersâ dormitory;
No. 3 â
Museum, including some original St
Kildan artefacts;
No. 4 â
Male Work Party membersâ dormitory;
No. 5 â
Workshop;
No. 6 â
Reconstructed house, with the internal
room layout as it would have been in the
early 20th century.
21
Helicopter/landing craft landing place â
Large
concreted area near the beach;
Fuel tanks â
Near the beach, part-concealed;
Water tank â
The main freshwater reservoir for the
island, painted green to blend in; due to be
removed and relocated underground;
Radar masts and associated equipment
buildings â
Largely removable, but on barren
hilltops where vegetation would be very slow to
recolonise bare areas;
Gabion baskets â
Coastal defences which
themselves promote erosion at the edges and may
lead to major collapse if removed; subject to
current coastal erosion management study;
Ablutions block â
Beside Factorâs House, used for
shower, washing and toilet facilities for Work
Parties and campers. One of the last remaining
structures from the early phase of the Base, it is
easily removable;
Quarry â
Beside the road, half-way up the hill, it
has potential for land fill but would be very difficult
to fully reinstate.
Measures are being put in place, where deemed
appropriate, to allow for the removal of all or part
of the installation at the end of the MoD lease.
Prior to removal all such features will be carefully
recorded at an appropriate level of detail. In the
meantime, the MoD and NTS are working to
remove redundant structures and minimise the
visual impact of those still required.
d. Criteria under which
inscription is proposed (and
justification for inscription
under those criteria)
Cultural Criteria
St Kilda also fits with three of the cultural criteria
defined by UNESCO (UNESCO World Heritage
Operational Guidelines 1999, Para. 24):
24 (a) (iii) the islands bear an exceptional testimony
to a cultural tradition which has now disappeared,
namely the reliance on bird products as the main
source of sustenance and livelihood and of the
crofting way of life in Highland Scotland. St Kilda
also represents subsistence economies
everywhere â living in harmony with nature until
external pressures led to inevitable decline;
24 (a) (iv) the village is an outstanding example of a
type of building ensemble or landscape, which
illustrates a significant stage in the human history
of Scotland; the establishment of crofting
townships and land allotment, and the
restructuring of communities by remote higher
authorities which often led to the mass emigration
of Scots and establishment of Scottish enclaves
around the world;
24 (a) (v) similarly, the village and associated
remains are the most complete example of a
traditional human settlement and land-use which is
representative of 19th-century rural Highland
Scottish culture which, in 1930, became the victim
of irreversible change.
Cultural Landscape
âCultural landscapes often reflect specific
techniques of sustainable land-use, considering
the characteristics and limits of the natural
environment they are established in, and a specific
spiritual relation to nature. Protection of cultural
landscapes can contribute to modern techniques
of sustainable land-use and can maintain or
enhance natural values in the landscape.â
(UNESCO World Heritage Operational Guidelines
1999, Para. 38).
There are two strands to the cultural landscape of
St Kilda. The first falls under UNESCO Cultural
Landscapes Category i: the planned settlement
which now surrounds Village Bay is a clearly
22
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
defined landscape designed and created
intentionally by man. Rather than consciously
being designed for aesthetic reasons, however,
the village was created in the early 1830s as a
deliberate attempt to âimproveâ the social and
economic use of the islandâs agricultural resources,
in line with similar initiatives elsewhere in the
Scottish Highlands.
However, the mid-19th-century pattern of the village
is the endpoint (and counterpoint) what was until
then an organically evolved landscape (Cultural
Landscapes Category ii). This landscape developed
both physically and spiritually, inextricably in
response to its natural environment over 5,000 or
more years. The St Kilda archipelago is particularly
well described by sub-category âaâ of Cultural
Landscape Category ii: a fossil landscape in which
an evolutionary process abruptly came to an end at
some time in the past: the actions of the 1830s
fossilized the earlier settlement and boundary
patterns; whilst the evaucation of the 1930s and
subsequent history have resulted in the fossilization
of most of those of the mid-19th century. Many of
its significant evolutionary features are, however,
still visible in material form, and the village and
other features have been preserved since coming
into the ownership of the NTS.
2
23
Fetching water
1. Soay lamb
2. Cleitean
3. Common starfish and
Sagartia elegans
4. Northern fulmar
5. Sea pink
6. Finlay and Christina MacQueen
7. Cliffs
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
1
2
3
7
3
Description
â
a. Description of Property
The description of St Kilda that does not contain
superlatives has not been written âŚ
It is a place of high cliffs, moody weather and teeming
bird life. All of those add to the qualities of St Kilda,
but so much of what is special about the islands
is rooted in its human history.
â
5
4
25
6
26
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Soils
Professor Andy Meharg and a team from
Aberdeen University have an on-going
programme studying samples of soil from
different parts of Hirta, the main island of the
St Kilda archipelago. Samples were collected
from grazing lands, from fields, and from
midden pits where, in the past, waste was
collected for manuring. Analysis showed that
levels of toxic chemicals from some of the
fields and from the pits even now remain at
high levels â which may have affected the
fertility of the land. The pollutants â including
lead, zinc, cadmium and arsenic â can be
attributed mainly to the use of seabird
carcasses in the manure that was spread
across the village fields. Tens of thousands of
birds were captured each year, so a
considerable amount of waste was generated.
Seabirds tend to have elevated levels of a
range of potentially toxic metals in their
organs. When traveller Martin Martin visited
in 1697 he commented on the island's fertility.
A deterioration in the crops is recorded by the
mid-18th century. The suggestion is made in
this study that this pollution may have caused
the reduction in crop quality although there
was a general deterioration in climate (often
referred to as The Little Ice Age) throughout
Britain at this time, with many poor harvests
recorded in the Hebrides during the 18th
century. This recent work has also provided
more information on soil management. Soil
was deliberately moved from impoverished
areas to the main cultivation places, where
instead of a few centimetres the soil has been
built up over 1m in parts of the village fields.
Landscape-scale movement of soil was not
uncommon in the Scottish Highlands and
Islands.
Landscape
All the islands of the St Kilda group rise abruptly
from the ocean floor at a depth of about 70m. The
two major rock formations, the granite and the
gabbro have eroded to give quite different
topography. The granite hills, Conachair and
Oiseval, are smooth paps; the gabbro hills, Dun,
Mullach Bi, the Cambir, Soay, Boreray and the
major stacks, are castellated, bastion-like masses.
On Hirta, the flowing contours of Mullach Sgar,
Mullach Mor, Conachair and Oiseval, together with
the horseshoe of Village Bay, combine to form a
steep amphitheatre open to the sea on the
south-east. Gleann Mor possesses the same
smooth outline and wide, U-shaped form, but
opens to the north. The highest point on Hirta is
the beautiful cone of Conachair. Mullach Sgar is
connected to the hogback ridge of Mullach Geal
and Mullach Mor by Am Blad, a broad col over
320m high between these north and south bays.
The views in either direction, but particularly over
Village Bay, are stunning and emphasise the
vertical scale of the islands. Mullach Bi on the
rugged west coast is the second highest summit;
it is joined by a narrow neck to the Cambir, the
most northerly point of Hirta. The Amhuinn Mhor
and the Amhuinn a'Ghlinne Mhoir are the only
streams of any size. Freshwater springs occur at
several localities on Hirta, with other springs on
Soay and Boreray, but not on Dun. A cruise below
their towering walls amongst the screaming
seabirds, is an unforgettable, humbling and awe-
inspiring experience even without ever landing on
these satellite islands.
The official description of the St Kilda National
Scenic Area is disappointingly brief, highlighting
that one must visit the place to fully appreciate its
sheer scale and stark beauty. âThe description of St
Kilda that does not contain superlatives has not
been written ⌠the islands are of volcanic origin
and have been weathered by the ocean into
profiles that never fail to impress all who set eyes
upon them. The three larger islands ⌠exhibit
precipices that plunge into the sea. Stark, black,
precipitous cliffs contrast with steep grassy green
slopes and every element seems vertical. Caves
and stacks are a feature of every coast except the
smooth amphitheatre of Village Bay on Hirta, and
the cliffs are thronged with sea-birds, gannet and
fulmar being more prolific here than anywhere else
in Britain.â Sir Julian Huxley called Stac Lee
â... the most majestic sea rock in existenceâ and
3
27
Geikie has described Conachair as follows:
âNowhere among the Inner Hebrides, not even on
the south-western side of Rum, is there any such
display of the capacity of the youngest granite to
assume the most rugged and picturesque forms. It
is hardly possible to exaggerate the variety of
outline assumed by the rock. To one who boats
underneath these cliffs the scene of ceaseless
destruction which they present is vividly impressive.
Boreray and Soay are no less impressive with their
cliff-girt green turf pasture, and Dun has a highly
crenellated profile.â This curt paragraph hardly does
justice to St Kilda but the photographs and images
included in this World Heritage submission will
speak more eloquently to those who have yet to
experience the islands in person.
Cultural Heritage
The importance of the cultural heritage of St Kilda
centres on the extraordinary post-medieval remains
coupled with exceptional supportive documentary
evidence. For the most part the archaeological
record relies on the remains still visible on the
ground. A few relatively small-scale excavations
have also taken place, shedding light on the nature
of the sometimes-rich buried deposits.
Documentary Evidence
The way of life on St Kilda has been remarkably
well documented in the writings of early visitors to
St Kilda, such as Monro in 1549 and Martin Martin
in 1697. Other key works include Macaulayâs
History of St Kilda
(1764) and the writings of the
Rev. Neil Mackenzie from 1829-1843. Illustrative
material by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (1812) and
Sharbauâs plans of 1860 are immensely useful in
clarifying the texts, and Captain Thomasâs sketch
of Blackhouse K in the 1860s is also revealing. To
these records must be added the remarkable
photographic archive for St Kilda, which
documents the life and times of the inhabitants
from about 1860 to the evacuation and beyond.
These documents and illustrations have allowed
the flesh to be put on the bones of the
archaeological evidence, and have been drawn
upon extensively to support the interpretations in
the following descriptions. These accounts do,
however, have to be read with caution: they were
almost all written by outsiders, most of whom had
their own hidden agendas which are reflected in
their writings.
Village Bay
28
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
An island paradise?
Virtually all the historical accounts have been
written by visitors to St Kilda, and recent
research has begun to question the accuracy
of the information that they have passed
down to us. The published reports of Martin
Martin, the first major chronicler of the
islands, are very positive about the islanders,
but associated papers and correspondence
hint that he was generally reporting what his
sponsors wanted to hear. Their honesty and
cheery disposition might not have been the
whole story.
Similarly, convincing arguments are emerging
to suggest that 19th-century visitors had a
very clear impression of what they wanted to
see and experience during their St Kildan
visit. These expectations arose out of the
Sublime movement, with roots in the Scottish
Enlightenment of the 18th century. Their
accounts therefore focus on the remoteness,
the noble savagery, the spectacle of the
landscape, etc. Even today, the available travel
literature perpetuates the qualities of the
Sublime, influencing modern visitorsâ
perceptions of the past and present of the
islands.
3
2. Sea anemones and sponges
3. Ross coral
1. Kelp
29
Iron Age
The Iron Age in the Hebrides could be argued to
extend into the 18th century, but here will be
considered to stop in the wake of Viking influence.
Some of the structures at Gleann Mor, including
the Amazonâs House (seen by Martin Martin in
1697), could represent the earliest surviving
domestic buildings on St Kilda. If they are of Iron
Age date, then they are of very considerable
significance because of the extent of their survival.
The horn-shaped protuberances on some of the
Gleann Mor structures have been termed
âgathering foldsâ and may date from more recent
shieling activities.
The presence of a souterrain â an underground
structure â is also suggestive of Iron Age activity.
The structure known as Tigh an t-Sithiche (House
of the Fairies) at Village Bay has been excavated no
less than four times, with some success in terms
of producing dating evidence. Over 30cm of peat
ash and soot covered a paved floor with a drain
beneath, and finds included: coarse pottery, some
of Iron Age type; hammer stones; stone loom
weights or net sinkers; stone ard tips; querns;
stone lamps; shells; animal bones; and a Viking
iron spearhead. Pottery excavated in the late 1980s
has been dated (by thermoluminescence) to AD
190Âą360, confirming activity on the islands at this
time.
From 1998 onwards, excavations on the screes
below Mullach Sgar have located the remains of
structures containing Iron Age pottery; one such
structure, previously entirely hidden in the scree,
survives to almost 1.5m high in places.
Stone tools are found in abundance on Hirta. They
would have been used in agriculture as digging
points, and are often very skilfully worked. The
distribution of their findspots is focused around
the areas that once were fields. The tools were
often discarded in Village Bay and subsequently
reused as pinning stones in cleitean and other
structures. Such tools were found when
excavating the souterrain, and are similar to those
from the Northern Isles where they are dated to
the Late Neolithic/Bronze Age period. Excavations
in 2000 in a structure dated to the Iron Age
revealed probable debitage from working such
tools, which would give the earliest evidence to
date for their manufacture on St Kilda. Work in the
late 1990s showed that several areas above the
screes of Mullach Sgar were used for quarrying
â
â
Rather than relying on these tales as
ethnographic accounts, we must recognise
that they say a good deal more about the
moral, economic and aesthetic judgements of
the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie than about
the everyday life of the
St Kildans.
Fraser MacDonald, 2001, âSt Kilda and the
sublimeâ,
Ecumene
8 (2), 151-174
Recent research has asked the simple question
why, in such an apparently egalitarian utopia, there
was a widespread need for the famous wooden
tumbler locks, of which several examples still
survive. What were the islanders trying to keep
under lock and key? And was it outsiders they
feared, or the attentions of their fellow islanders?
Careful scrutiny of the archaeological,
ethnographic and historical records is revealing
more and more evidence that contradicts the
received wisdom about life on St Kilda. But
although life may turn out not to have been all that
different from that on similar Hebridean islands,
even this knowledge is unlikely to unduly diminish
the powerful experience of the place that most
visitors still take away with them.
Early Prehistoric
In 1764 Macaulay reported the existence of a
stone circle at Tigh Stalar, Boreray, describing a
typical Late Neolithic example, but in 1876 Sands
could find no trace of this structure. If it did indeed
exist this would represent the earliest known
human occupation on St Kilda; recently discovered
Neolithic pottery certainly confirms activity at this
time. The Rev. MacKenzie wrote of grassy
mounds, the âabode of fairiesâ, which overlay stone
cists sometimes containing bones and mostly
containing coarse pots. These burial mounds,
which were cleared away in the 19th century,
might be of Bronze Age date; one survivor may be
the underground cell in the lower meadow of
Village Bay. âCairnsâ on Mullach Sgar are now
regarded as more likely being later features. Even
after three excavations there is still insufficient
evidence to know whether the âboat-shapedâ
settings at An Lag above Village Bay might
represent burial or ritual structures of prehistoric
date.
30
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
and a surprising amount of quarrying had taken
place on the high ground between Mullach Sgar
and the slopes of Conachair. Indeed, some of the
apparently âglacial moraineâ deposits in this area
may turn out to have been substantially altered by
human action â spoil heaps from centuries of
stone quarrying.
Iron Age/Viking/Early Medieval
Several finds of Viking date and Norse influence
have been found on Hirta. These include two
Viking brooches of the 9th or 10th century, the
Viking spearhead found in a souterrain, and a
Viking sword. Recently excavated finds of steatite
were probably brought from Norse Shetland, while
pottery has been dated to AD1135Âą170. Early
Christian grooved crosses built into House 16 and
Cleit 74 are thought to show some Norse influence,
but the presence of various Scandinavian-type
place-names is an even better measure of this
strong influence on the islands, which probably
extended to the end of the 13th century.
The âboat shapedâ appearance of the twenty or so
settings at An Lag might have been expected to be
of Norse origin, but the form of these stone
settings is often not convincingly boat-shaped
overall, and their dating remains unknown.
Medieval
The medieval (taken here to mean pre-1830s) core
of settlement seems to have centred on a now
barren area at and just above the present head
dyke, and is featured on a sketch of 1812 by Sir
Thomas Dyke Acland.A recently-discovered sketch
of the Village in 1831 shows that blackhouses
actually stretched down towards the shore, and
platforms thought to be associated with these
structures have now been noted beneath and
around the Consumption Dykes.
Martin Martin records that the well named Tobar
Childa was in Village Bay, and Macaulay describes
the layout of the settlement in his time. The
âtolerable causewayâ between the houses is no
longer visible within the grassy terraces, but the
patchwork of small, irregular enclosures in this
area may have been contemporary with the
medieval settlement.
All but one of the pre-improvement houses are
said to have been removed when the village was
replanned in the 1830s, but a few other traces may
also survive within cleitean. Calum Morâs House â
1. Wooden tumbler lock
3. Early Christian carved crosses
2. Village and bay from the south
(Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 1812)
4. Calum Morâs House
3
31
a âbeehiveâ type structure but with external turf
insulation giving a mound-like appearance â may
well be the sole intact survivor. Further reasons for
the poor survival of medieval structures could be
the re-use of stones for dyke and cleit building, but
also, as MacKenzie (in the mid-19th century)
records, when new houses were built, old ones
were usually removed. Outlying areas of cultivation
and enclosure of this period can be found at
Ruaival and An Lag, while some structures at
Gleann Mor may have been re-used and new ones
built as shielings.
Three chapels are said by Martin Martin to have
existed on Hirta in 1697: Christâs Church, probably
where the current burial ground stands; St Briananâs
at Ruaival; and St Columbaâs at the western fringe
of the village area. A further chapel or âteampullâ is
said once to have stood on Boreray but by 1862
was represented only by a single inscribed stone.
The oval graveyard, which was used until the 20th
century, is likely to be of medieval origin,
associated with Christâs Church, but the scatter of
small headstones leaves few clues as to who was
buried there and when. Martin Martin describes
seasonal shelters or bothies used during the
seafowl harvesting on Stac Lee. However, the
most common type of small structure is the cleit,
of which about 1,260 examples have been
recorded on Hirta, and more than 170 others on
the outlying islands and stacks: even in Martinâs
time he guessed that there were around 500 of
these unusual structures. Cleitean are small
drystone structures of round-ended rectilinear
form, with drystone walls and a roof of slabs
covered with earth and turf. Within this basic plan
are numerous variations of door position, and
some examples (which may have been converted
from earlier dwellings) even include integral
adjoining cells. Although perhaps influenced by the
Norse tradition of storehouse building, the cleitean
may equally have been derived from the basic
design of earlier St Kildan buildings such as the
Amazonâs House and Calum Morâs House.
Cleitean were usually used as stores, and their
generally loose wall construction was designed to
allow a through-flow of air. They were used to store
and dry birds, eggs and feathers, harvested crops,
and peat and turf that were both used as fuel.
Blackhouses and Early 19th-century
Buildings
Monastic cells?
Although undated, and constructed
differently from other known Early Christian
structures, the two cellular structures
investigated near the site of St Briananâs
chapel could conceivably represent the
remains of a monastic foundation â perhaps
the âmonkish cellsâ referred to in a historical
document. The presence of three chapels on
so small an island as Hirta in the late 17th
century begs explanation, and the islands are
certainly remote enough to satisfy the
requirements of Early Christian hermits. The
dedication of one chapel to St Columba might
support this hypothesis.
Hidey Holes
Always hidden, and often forgotten, traces of
at least 16 structures have been found in the
screes below Mullach Sgar. Stories tell of their
use as hiding places in times of strife, when
pirates or other unfriendly visitors made an
appearance. The islanders are said to have
hidden in the screes in 1746, when soldiers
came in search of Bonnie Prince Charlie
who they thought might have taken refuge
on St Kilda.
32
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
The first main deviations from the relatively
primitive St Kildan structures were the building of
the Store (or âFeatherstoreâ) before 1818, and the
Church and Manse to plans of 1826. The Store is a
two-storey gabled structure that was used to store
commodities gathered as payment in kind for rent.
The Church is a relatively plain two-bay oblong
structure built to plans of 1826, a schoolroom
being added on the north-west side in 1898. The
Manse was built at the same time as the Church.
In an effort to provide more up-to-date
accommodation, the Rev. Neil MacKenzie
instigated a move from the old village core to a
laid out string of blackhouses, mostly end-on to
what is now known as The Street. These
structures, 24 of which survive fairly intact, were
mainly built in the 1830s, but one example
(Blackhouse E) possibly dates from as late as the
1870s. The blackhouses were of the usual
Hebridean plan, being rectangular, with thick
double-skinned walls and with rounded external
corners. The roofs were thatched with barley
straw, some later gabled, and the windows were
glazed. There was a single entrance, used by both
animals and humans, and the lower end was
normally used as a byre. A plan published by
Thomas in 1870 showed how the living quarters
were laid out. Some examples include a crub or
wall-bed, a feature carried on from the medieval
building tradition. Several variations on the general
plan can be seen, including the recently excavated
kiln-barn (Blackhouse W), and the conjoined
Blackhouses M and N.
The fertile plain of Village Bay was divided into
numerous radial plots, most of which are still
evident through dykes, cultivation lynchets or lines
of stones. The plots were now related to individual
blackhouses whereas previously plots of land were
allocated to families on a rotational system based
on run-rig. The head dyke, into which pre-existing
cleitean and other structures were integrated, was
probably built in the 1830s, as was the high seaward
wall. To the rear of the blackhouses are enclosures
which may define small gardens, and MacKenzie
refers to adjacent manure pits which are no longer
obvious. Small circular gateless enclosures within
the head dyke form âplanticruesâ, used to shelter
growing crops of kail or cabbages. The An Lag
enclosures, the date of which is unknown, might
also have been exclosures where vegetables
would have grown in this relatively sheltered
location without being eaten by the livestock.
Later 19th-century Houses
After a damaging hurricane in October 1860, the
opportunity was taken to further improve the living
accommodation in the village. Construction of the
row of 16 new whitehouses strung along The Street
started in 1861.
The 16 houses erected were lime-mortared, gabled
and chimneyed. Of a standard Scottish Highland
three-roomed design, these buildings are quite
different from their predecessors; they face
seaward, not end-on to the Bay, and have a hard
rectangular outline of mortared stone with cement-
rendered walls, and chimneyed gables. Their roofs
were covered with zinc plates nailed down to
sarking boards as a security against the wind, but
some plates were too short to cover the whole
roof and all were apparently prone to
condensation. The zinc was subsequently replaced
by tarred felt held down by spikes and stays. In
1898 the houses were provided with new floors
which were partly of concrete, and partly timber.
Set into the slope, most of these houses have a
revetted drainage ditch at the rear, a common
mainland technique.
The construction of these houses caused
modifications to the building pattern on the street
frontage, but most new structures appear to have
been fitted into the gaps between the
blackhouses. While most of the blackhouses were
reused as byres or stores, one or two, such as
Blackhouse X, were still used as dwellings after
the construction of the new houses. A good deal is
known, from documentary and photographic
evidence, about the layout and functions within the
houses, and this has been supplemented by the
excavation of Houses 6 and 8 in the late 1980s.
The present Factorâs House was probably also built
in the 1860s. This building was used by the Factor
during his annual visits to collect the rent. It stands
towards the lower end of the street, close to the
Church and Manse. Built on common ground, it is
of a conventional mainland type with one-and-a-
half storeys and a projecting front porch. Marked
on Sharbauâs plan is a structure described as a
âmill erected in 1861â although it is not known
whether this was a grain mill which ever had a
working existence.
3
33
Early 20th Century to the Evacuation
The addition of the schoolroom to the Church
occurred between 1897 and 1900, and fragments
of writing slates found in recent excavations may
date from around that time. The concrete slipway
and jetty were built in 1901, and the naval gun
(brought from a First World War naval gunboat)
and ammunition store were added in 1918 in
response to a German U-boat attack which left the
Store in ruins and other buildings severely
damaged. Excavated finds show that the islandersâ
tastes became more developed as tourism brought
in a little extra income and contact with the
outside world; for a while their life remained
comfortable but basic.
Post-evacuation
Following the evacuation in 1930, the buildings of
St Kilda began to deteriorate fairly rapidly, and
within 10 years most were roofless. In 1957 the Air
Ministry re-occupied the Manse and Factorâs
House, repaired the Church, and built a block of
Nissen huts. At about this time the road to the top
of Mullach Mor was built, using material quarried
from the side of the hill. The present MoD
buildings were occupied in 1969, and the radar
facilities on Mullach Mor and Mullach Sgar have
gradually developed over the last 35 years.
The remains of several aircraft are to be found on
St Kilda. A Sunderland flying boat and her crew â
six New Zealanders, an Australian and three
Britons â crashed in Gleann Mor in June 1944
while on a night operational flight from Oban.
All crew members died in the crash and the
wreckage was later dismantled and buried by the
RAF in the summer of 1944. A Beaufighter, based
at Port Ellen on Islay, crashed on Conachair on
3 June 1943, also during a night flight. Most of the
wrecked fuselage plunged over the cliffs and no
bodies were ever found. A Wellington Bomber
crashed on Soay at some point during the Second
World War, almost certainly LA995 flying out of
Stornoway on 23 February 1943, carrying six of
a crew.
All of these aircraft are treated as archaeological
remains in the same way as the various wrecks
around the islands, ranging from a supposed
galleon site in Geo Chaimbir, to a trawler in Geo
Chruadalain. Most recently, the Golden Chance
was lost in Village Bay in 1981.
Scheduled Ancient Monuments
Extensive areas of Hirta have been scheduled as
nationally important ancient monuments. The
largest is a tract of the Village Bay medieval and
later settlement, but excluding the structures
associated with the MoD Base. It stretches from
the enclosures at An Lag to the activity area and
the supposed site of St Briananâs Church at
Ruaival. The cluster of structures and dykes at Geo
Chrubaidh, and the cleitean and possible structure
at Claigeann an Tigh Faire, between Mullach Bi and
Claigeann Mor are also scheduled. In addition, a
large swathe of Gleann Mor has been scheduled,
including the Amazonâs House and associated
âhornedâ structures.
Landscape
For most visitors, the fascination of St Kilda lies in
the combination of spectacular natural phenomena
linked to the almost tangible atmosphere of the
remains of human settlement. The remains of
these buildings, cleitean and walls erected by the
now absent St Kildans, are a very influential feature
of the landscape, providing as they do a physical
link to the existence of the people. They provide
the imagination with an idea of how the St Kildans
might have lived, reliant on the natural resources
of the islands and challenged at every turn by the
isolation and climate of the place.
Juxtaposed against these poignant remains are the
Army camp buildings in Village Bay, the masts and
radomes of the radar sites on Mullach Mor and
Mullach Sgar, and the remains of the quarry
opened to extract road building materials. These
provide a startling reminder of the presence and
influence of modern humans on St Kilda and may
appear to some as intrusive and undesirable for
this reason as for their physical appearance.
The most common way of reaching St Kilda is by
boat and the views of the archipelago from a
vessel moving between the stacs or around the
cliffs, will reinforce the dramatic impacts of its
islands. The sheer scale of the islands arouses
many of the emotions which are associated with
their landscape and which give St Kilda its special
âspirit of placeâ.
34
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
b. History and Development
In her classic book
An Isle called Hirte
, Mary Harman
(1997) summarises accounts of fowling by the St
Kildans. The gathering of eggs, young and adult
birds naturally depended on the life cycle of the
birds themselves. Adult birds were collected as soon
as they returned to the island in spring â common
guillemots from February to April, adult shearwaters
and northern gannets in March. Adults and eggs of
northern fulmars and Atlantic puffins, and the eggs
of common guillemots, were then harvested, as the
birds were laying in May. Common guillemots could
be harvested twice, with a gap of 18 days, and
sometimes even a third time, as they would usually
lay a replacement egg. Adult Atlantic puffins were
still taken in May, June and July, after which the
fledglings then became available, together with the
young of northern gannets (gugas), shearwaters and
northern fulmars. The northern gannet harvest
necessitated visiting Boreray and its stacks, Stac Lee
was the most difficult to land on and the men
sometimes over-nighted in stone bothies there. The
men often worked in small groups, descending the
highest cliffs in stages using long ropes of hemp or
horsehair. The women and children often helped
deal with the catch at the cliff-top. The lower sections
of cliff were scaled from a boat. Snares made of
horsehair were employed to catch auks, one woman
catching 127 Atlantic puffins in three hours and
another 280 in a day! Nooses attached to long poles
extended the reach of the fowlers, while Atlantic
puffin eggs could be scooped out of burrows easier
with a spoon on the end of a stick. Dogs were also
useful in catching adult Atlantic puffins and
shearwaters, a good one catching 60 or 70 in one
night. Harvests were divided up amongst the
community, the birds being plucked and dried for
the winter; feathers and oil contributed to the rent.
Latterly, some St Kildans sold eggs and stuffed birds
as souvenirs to tourists, Leachâs petrels and St Kilda
wrens being the most valuable, necessitating a law
being passed by the Westminster Parliament in 1904
to protect them.
Figures on just how many seabirds were harvested
are scant and probably unreliable. Martin Martin,
for instance, gives an annual northern gannet
harvest of 22,600 that is unlikely to have been
sustainable over a long period. Similarly estimates
of numbers of Atlantic puffin eggs collected,
calculated from the number of creels removed from
Dun, would have necessitated robbing the burrows
of well over half the current population of Atlantic
puffins. The 19th-century figures are perhaps the
most reliable, but represent the harvests of a
declining human population. During the 1830s, the
northern gannet (including gugas) harvest never
exceeded 4,000, along with 12,000 to 20,000
northern fulmars. In one exceptional day on
Boreray in the 1880s, however, 1,000 northern
gannets were harvested and the incredible figure of
89,600 adult Atlantic puffins has been calculated
for 1876. By the early 1900s the annual average
harvest was of 7,500 northern fulmars and about
5,000-6,000 common guillemot eggs.
Finlay MacQueen demonstrates climbing
3
35
History of St Kilda Prior to NTS Acquisition
In 1703 Martin Martin wrote how âdescriptions of
countries without the natural history of them, are
now justly reckoned to be defectiveâ. He was the
first of many visitors to describe in detail the island
and its inhabitants. It was only by the beginning of
the 20th century that the first scientific studies
began. The first geological survey of St Kilda took
place in 1927-28 (forming the basis for all
subsequent geological work) and, soon afterwards,
the Oxford/Cambridge expedition provided an early
description of the vegetation; they were the last to
record the habits of the house mouse just prior to
its demise. Soay sheep were then introduced to
Hirta in 1932 to become a significant factor in the
subsequent development of plant communities
there, as studied by later botanists.
Since the lives of the islanders were so dependent
upon the seabirds most early visitors, since Martin
Martinâs time, had something to offer on the
avifauna. So it is not surprising that the seabirds
have been so well documented and then
censussed on a regular basis. A detailed checklist
of the all birds was updated in the year 2000. The
presence of a nature reserve warden for six
months every year since 1957 has helped collate
the natural history records, while the staff at the
MoD Base and scientists involved in the long-term
study of the sheep have provided many valuable,
additional observations. Annual reports are lodged
with Scottish Natural Heritage and The National
Trust for Scotland, while many papers have been
generated by the scientific studies, to add to the
prodigious published accounts and books written
by visiting naturalists over the last century or two.
A Landscape of Tradition and Legend
The landscape of St Kilda is littered with
features and places linked with folklore and
legend. These stories are all closely tied to
those of the rest of the Outer Hebrides and
Atlantic seaboard, but some have been adapted
to suit the special circumstances of
St Kilda. Without the plethora of documents
associated with this landscape, these place
names and traditions would have been lost,
and the meanings of the landscape to the
inhabitants would, as in many other places,
have been forgotten forever.
The Mistress Stone
The Mistress Stone was a place where young
men would establish their climbing prowess
before their wedding.
âIn the Face of the Rock, South of the Town, is
the famous Stone, known by the Name of the
Mistress-Stone; it resembles a Door exactly, and
is in the very Front of this Rock, which is
twenty or thirty Fathom perpendicular in
height, the Figure of it being discernible about
the Distance of a Mile: Upon the Lintel of this
Door, every Bachelor-Wooer is, by an ancient
Custom, obliged in Honour to give a Specimen
of his Affection for the Love of his Mistress,
and it is thus: He is to stand on his left Foot,
having the one Half of it over the Rock, he then
draws the right Foot towards the left, and in
this Posture bowing, puts both his Fists further
out to the right Foot; after he has performed
this, he has acquired no small Reputation,
being ever after accounted worthy of the finest
Woman in the WorldâŚâ
Martin Martin, 1753,
A voyage to St Kilda: The
remotest of all the Hebrides or Western Isles of
Scotland
(4th ed.; London) p. 61.
Calum Morâs House
Probably the last surviving dwelling from the
medieval village, the house is said to have been
built in a day by the strong-man Calum Mor in
order for him to prove his manliness.
The Amazonâs House
The âHouse of the Female Warriorâ who once
lived in Gleann Mor. The âAmazonâ is said to
have hunted with her hounds at a time when
there was a land bridge between St Kilda and
the Western Isles. The structure may be
hundreds or even thousands of years old.
36
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
St Kilda Parliament
The Parliament was convened almost every
morning, when the menfolk would decide
what, if anything, should be done that day.
The Parliament was part of a communal
system of sharing tasks and resources â one of
the few aspects of life in which St Kilda
appears to have differed significantly from
other parts of the Western Isles.
St Kilda has a very special genius loci â or âspirit of
placeâ â which casts a spell on all those who visit
it. It is a place of natural superlatives â of high
cliffs, moody weather and teeming bird life. All of
these add to the qualities of St Kilda, but so much
of what is special about the islands is rooted in its
human history. Its built heritage is a testament to a
society that existed in relative isolation for
centuries, and yet was unable to survive in the
20th century. This human history of St Kilda has
been so important in giving the islands the
qualities, both tangible and intangible, which
they possess today.
The following account is necessarily brief: more
detailed accounts of the history of St Kilda can be
found in the many publications about the islands
(see Bibliography).
The origins of the name St Kilda are uncertain as
there has never been a saint called Kilda. Skildar is
the Old Icelandic word for âshieldâ that would
describe the shape of the islands as they appear to
rest on the surface of the water. The form
S. Kildar appeared in a book of charts in 1592 and
probably led to the later adoption of the name
St Kilda. An alternative suggestion was related by
Martin Martin, a visitor to the islands in 1697, who
thought that the islands may have been named
after a well (Tobar Childa) near the village on Hirta.
Another and possibly the most likely explanation
comes from a knowledge of the way the St Kildans
themselves pronounced Hirta in their native tongue.
3
2. St Kilda parliament
3. Amazonâs House
37
1. The Mistress Stone
38
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
St Kildaâs Language and Culture
It is perhaps not surprising that so many of the St
Kildan evacuees of 1930 spent their exile craving
return to their homeland and indeed some
continued to return each summer throughout the
1930s until the outbreak of war. The Earl of
Dumfries regarded the islands as a nature reserve
and Neil Gillies, a St Kildan, was employed as a
summer warden. Those evacuees, retained the âSt
Kildan lispâ, mentioned by Martin Martin as early
as 1697. In effect, this was a mispronunciation of
consonants. L (before a broad vowel) and V both
became W. Similarly R became L. The word
(razorbill) for example â pronounced elsewhere in
the Hebrides as âlaavyâ, became âwaawyâ. The
islanders pronounced the word
Hiort
(Hirta) as
âhiltâ. As Norman Heathcote mentioned in his
book published in 1900, it is probably that the
name âSt Kildaâ is a corruption of the already
corrupted âhiltâ.
Although almost all the placenames of the
archipelago have a Norse derivation, for at least
400 years Gaelic was the language of Hirta. The
following words, unique to the St Kildan
vocabulary, are redolent of the islander's
extraordinary lifestyle:
lon
â a climbing rope made
of strips of plaited rawhide and regarded as a
precious heirloom;
mogais
â an anchor,
consisting of heavy stones placed in a seal-skin
sack;
sraonadh
â slipping off a rock;
crathadh
â
the usual method of despatching a bird, i.e.
dislocating its neck;
faire
â literally ânightwatchâ
(wearing dark clothes but with a white cloth
tucked under the throat, the hunter tricked
razorbills into coming in to roost). Many such
words pertaining to sea-fowling were peculiar to
St Kilda with its seabird economy.
Throughout the islands recorded history,
superstition was widespread. As in other parts of
the Highlands and Islands, it was believed that
sithichean
(little people) lived in grassy hillocks,
close to human habitation. The Gruagach, the
benign female spirit that was believed to look
after the cattle, resided within a monolith located
close to the Village. In the remote Gleann Mor,
invalids offered gifts to the spirit residing in Tobair
nam Buadh (the well of virtues) before drinking
what was supposedly the wellâs healing waters.
Some 300 years ago, Martin Martin reported that
composing songs and
bardachd
(poetry), and
making up humorous rhymes were favourite
pastimes of both the men and women of St Kilda.
Early in the 19th century, visitors collected songs
that must have been composed at times when
the community felt buoyant and self-confident.
The best known of these are the
Bhanais Hiortach
(St Kilda wedding) and
Cleite Gadaig
(Gadag
Rock), both of which were composed in an age
when mouth-music and dancing were acceptable
expressions of well-being and happiness.
Dancing to music âscratched out of a bad fiddleâ
was popular at all times of the year. In summer
pony races and shinty matches were held on the
beach of Village Bay.
After the famous evangelist Dr John Macdonald of
Ferintosh (known as âThe Apostle of the Northâ)
visited the island, albeit briefly, in 1822 and 1823,
he reported the people steeped in a mixture of
âpagan belief and Popish superstitionâ.
Charismatic and persuasive, Macdonaldâs
influence over the minds of the islanders was
profound. Following a century without a resident
minister, in 1829 the islanders welcomed into
their midst the Rev. Neil MacKenzie. Under these
Presbyterian influences many of the older
islanders became introspective and conscience-
stricken, and began to spend more time in prayer
and theological debate than in earning a living. It
is undeniable that MacKenzie worked hard to
improve the material as well as the spiritual plight
of his parishioners, and his account of island life
has become a classic in St Kildan literature.
MacKenzie also left to posterity a collection of
laments and poems popular during his time on
the island â all of them inspired by feelings of
intense grief or piety, or both.
Without a resident spiritual leader, the older
members of the community began to fret and
endlessly debated their future. This sense of
uncertainty and unhappiness persuaded many of
the young to escape their isolation. In 1852 for
instance, 36 of the islandâs youngest and ablest
emigrated to Australia. On the voyage to Melbourne,
18 of them perished. When the news of the tragedy
reached St Kilda the people âshut themselves up
in their houses and wept for a weekâ.
3
39
On a visit to St Kilda in 1865, the folklorist
Alexander Carmichael was determined to meet
Oighrig NicCruimein (Effie MacCrimmon), an 84
year old famed as a tradition-bearer. The Rev.
Mackay, at that time the incumbent minister, did
all he could to discourage the meeting. âYou
should be awareâ, he declared, âthat the people of
St Kilda have now discarded songs, music and
dancing and the stories of their foolish past!â
Thankfully, Carmichael persisted and, during his
brief hours in her company, discovered that Oighrig
could recall many of the islandâs ancient songs,
stories and traditions.
Included in her treasury was
An Comhradh
(The
Conversation) which Oighrigâs parents had
composed together during their courtship days in
the late 18th century. The tune of
An Comhradh
is
robust and inventive although the translation fails
to express the full vigour and vitality of the lyric.
The young man looked forward to the challenge
of hunting gannets on Boreray
Away with spade and tools of the soil!
Away with the basin and away with the lamb!
Up with my climbing rope and down my snares!
For I hear the gannet speak in the ocean.
The song is noteworthy, not least in that it
encapsulates the genius and tragedy of the St
Kildans. Sadly, days before Oighrig was born, her
father and grandfather, tied together by their
climbing rope, plunged to their death whilst
fowling on the cliffs at the back of Oiseval.
1. Oighrig Nic Cruimein- traditional story teller
2. The St Kilda wedding song
40
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Archaeological evidence suggests that Hirta has
been occupied, almost continuously, for well over
2,000 years and that the first human activity began
a further 3,000 or more years beforehand. It is
certain that the Vikings had an influence on the
islands and that Hirta was also occupied by early
Christians. The place names on the islands reflect
both the Norse and Gaelic influence.
The first comprehensive account of life on St Kilda
was provided by Martin Martin (1697), tutor to the
MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan. At this time,
St Kilda was owned by the MacLeods of Harris and
Dunvegan, and would remain with a branch of the
family until the year after the evacuation in 1930.
At the time of Martinâs visit there were
approximately 180 people on Hirta, living in a main
settlement in Village Bay. They kept sheep and
cattle and grew crops â but the most important
component of their diet came from seabirds.
The seabird harvest included the northern gannets
that were so abundant on Boreray and the Stacs
and, in later times, came to depend on the
northern fulmars and Atlantic puffins that nested
on the cliffs of Hirta and Dun. The St Kildans were
consummate and fearless climbers and caught the
birds by either scaling the cliffs from the bottom,
or more usually by lowering themselves down to
the cliff ledges where the birds nested. The bird
life also provided them with oil, feathers and eggs,
which they collected and used as payment in-kind
for their rent.
Ropes and fowling rods were usually the property
of all of the islanders, as were the areas of pasture
and other items such as boats and the numerous
cleitean (drying chambers) which can still be found
densely dotted around the islands. Ropes could,
however, also be owned by individuals and, at
some stage in the history of the islands, they often
formed part of a dowry. At the time of Martinâs
visit, the people of St Kilda led a simple life. They
were guided by basic though at times idiosyncratic
Christian principles with their lifestyle âin tuneâ with
nature and adapted to the pressures of survival in
such a difficult environment. In later times their
lifestyle was to become strongly influenced by the
Church, through the strenuous efforts of the many
clergy who spent time on the islands.
In 1822, St Kilda was visited by the renowned
evangelical preacher, Rev. John Macdonald, the so-
called âApostle of the Northâ. Macdonald set about
constructing the foundations of a highly organised
and puritanical religion on St Kilda. These were
built upon by the Rev. Neil MacKenzie who arrived
on the islands in 1830. He also decided to try to
improve the standard of living of the St Kildans and
under his guidance the traditional ârun-rigâ system
of agriculture was replaced by a permanent
allocation of land to each family. The old village
was demolished and replaced around 1834 by a
curving line of blackhouses around the curve of
Village Bay. In 1861, MacLeod, the landlord, paid
for a new set of cottages for the St Kildans that
were built by his masons from Dunvegan. These
were erected alongside the 1830âs blackhouses,
many of which were retained as byres. In 1865 the
Rev. John Mackay was sent to St Kilda and set
about imposing a particularly strict religious rule
over the islanders: the St Kildans embraced his
teaching and ignored their own traditions.
3
Rev. John Mackay- Minister on St Kilda 1866-1889
41
Another factor in the history of the St Kildans was
the influence of disease on the islanders. The
islands were devastated by a smallpox epidemic in
1724, from which only four adults and 26 children
survived. (A further three men and eight boys
escaped exposure to the disease as a result of
being stranded for several months on Boreray
while on a fowling expedition.) Although some new
families were introduced from Harris and Skye, the
population never again exceeded 110. A further
factor in the decline was infant tetanus, which,
until it was finally eradicated in 1891, exacted a toll
of two out of every three live births. The emigration
of 36 islanders to Australia in 1852 reduced the
population to approximately 70, from which it
never recovered.
By this time, the islandersâ traditional economy had
also begun to falter, with the oil and feathers they
exported losing value on the mainland â though
still accepted by the Factor as part payment of the
rent. From the 1870s, however, steamers were
calling regularly at Village Bay, full of well-meaning,
curious visitors â tourists. They came ashore to
see the inhabitants, whom they regarded as
quaint, and to buy souvenirs made by them.
Money was introduced for the first time and the St
Kildans came to rely on these tourists to provide
them with a source of income. But by the
beginning of the 20th century this fickle and
uncertain source of income began to decline as
St Kilda began to go out of vogue. What followed
were years of hardship when illness, bad weather,
poor harvests and lack of food seriously affected
the quality of life and the expectations of the
St Kildans. They had few sources of income,
although the sale of cattle and tweed to Skye and
the mainland continued through the estate Factor
until after the First World War. Communication with
the mainland was also difficult, with the efficiency
of their post office, which opened in 1899, often
affected by weather conditions.
During the First World War, the islanders
experienced a short reprieve when a Naval unit
stationed on the island brought them a measure of
prosperity as well as radio communication, regular
mail, employment and supplies. However, in 1919
the Navy pulled out and the islandersâ situation
was once again desperate. By 1928 the population
had fallen to 37 and in 1930 the remaining
islanders, guided by Nurse Williamina Barclay,
decided that they had no future on St Kilda. They
signed a petition requesting evacuation, which was
sent to the Secretary of State for Scotland in May
1930. Eventually, their request was granted and on
29 August 1930 the 36 remaining St Kildans left
the islands. They were taken by HMS
Harebell
to
the mainland where the majority was to settle in
Morvern, Argyll, to work for the Forestry Commission
â most having never before seen a tree!
The MacLeods sold the island in 1931 to the Earl
of Dumfries, later to become the 5th Marquess of
Bute. He retained the island, unoccupied and
managed as a bird sanctuary, until his death in
1956, following which the islands came into the
care of The National Trust for Scotland, when it
also became a National Nature Reserve under the
supervision of The Nature Conservancy (now SNH).
Detail from Sharbauâs map of 1860
42
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
âOperation Hardrockâ, established the need for St
Kilda as an early warning radar outpost during the
Cold War. An MoD Base was established in 1957,
initially by the RAF, and this has gradually evolved
into the MoD Base for the South Uist Rocket
Range. This establishment continues to provide
the island with its most permanent occupants as
well as electricity, running water, medical support,
and lines of supply. In order to cause minimal
disturbance to the Village, the Base was
established on the âGlebe Landâ â agricultural land
in the control of the church. Initial plans to
demolish the Village and use the stone for road
building were successfully opposed in 1957 by
representatives of The Nature Conservancy and the
NTS; the Village was spared and the quarry above
Village Bay was established instead. Various radar
facilities have come and gone on the hilltops, but
the most sustained activity of this type is confined
to the area of the Base, now run by the
commercial company QinetiQ.
From 1958 onwards, volunteer âWork Partiesâ of
The National Trust for Scotland have visited
annually, restoring a number of the historic
buildings for use by visitors, volunteers, and
researchers, as well as maintaining the ruined
structures and assisting with archaeological
excavations.
3
Operation Hardrock 1957
Archaeological Investigations
Archaeological observations on St Kilda began as
early as the 1830s. During his agricultural and
housing improvements, Rev. Neil MacKenzie noted
the presence of:
âvery numerous .... green mounds called âgnocan
sithicheanâ, which were looked upon as abodes of
fairies. These were all removed in the course of
agricultural improvements. They were composed
of stones mixed with a little earth to a depth of
two or three feet. At some distance below this
layer were stone coffins formed in two different
waysâŚ. In a few of them bones were found, and
in nearly all of them pieces of earthen vessels.â
The very first NTS Work Party, in August 1958,
decided to investigate the remains at Gleann Mor
and elsewhere on the islands:
âSet off with sandwiches up the road to the
Col and down into Gleann Mor with Prof.
OâDell to examine the bee-hive dwellings.
We took spades and crow-bar with us.
Started work on digging out the floors of the
buildings. The Amazon House is the best-
preserved of the buildings-described in detail
in the Scottish Field, by Ken Williamson.
We dug down carefully in several houses but
came on nothing of interest.â
43
This and other early Work Parties occasionally felt
the urge to undertake small-scale excavations, but
detailed records of these events, if they ever
existed, are now lost. Work over the past 30 years,
has, however, been undertaken within the modern
rigours of scientific archaeology.
The results of several years of intensive field
survey coupled with documentary research were
published in 1988 by Geoffrey Stell and Mary
Harman in
Buildings of St Kilda,
and this survey
information continues to provide the base-line
information from which all new work stems.
Partly for logistical reasons, very few archaeological
excavations have so far taken place on St Kilda.
Early efforts related to the souterrain, where
unfortunately the contemporary techniques of
excavation succeeded in destroying some extremely
important information. Houses 15 and 16 were
investigated in the 1970s. More recently, the
excavation of the floor deposits of House 6 in
advance of reconstruction has produced useful
results, as has the examination of House 8,
Blackhouse W, and a rubbish pit behind House 7
and Blackhouse G. The results of these
excavations of 1986-90 were published in 1996 as
the first in a series of monographs on the
archaeology and ethnography of St Kilda.
In 1993 and 1994 Glasgow University undertook
research excavations at Ruaival, on two circular
areas and at An Lag where the âboat-shapedâ
settings were investigated following an earlier
excavation in 1973. Several areas identified as
being at risk from cliff erosion have been
investigated, especially a âboat-shapedâ setting at
The Gap (excavated in 1995) and some field
boundaries at Ruaival.
Since 1995, small-scale excavations have focused
on the screes below Mullach Sgar, in the south-
west part of Village Bay. Numerous scree
structures have been rediscovered and recorded,
while, on the terrace below, a âhorned structureâ,
similar to those found across in Gleann Mor, has
been examined and may have prehistoric origins,
as well as activity into the 1st millennium AD.
Nearby, investigations are in progress (2002) of
part of a small but surprisingly complete Iron Age
building, surviving in places almost to roof height.
For the years 1996-2001, the St Kilda Archaeological
Management and Research Plan was implemented.
As part of the work contained in this plan, an
archaeologist has been employed on the islands
during the summer months to carry out condition
surveys and extensive monitoring of the built
structures on the islands. This information is being
used to direct building maintenance work by
helping to determine priorities for repair or
maintenance.
The condition of the grave markers in the graveyard
has slowly been deteriorating and the area has been
the subject of a detailed drawn and photographic
record, to add to the already extensive records of
the islands which have been maintained by the
Trust since its acquisition of St Kilda.
Palaeoenvironmental research by Durham
University has examined pollen and other remains
from a transect through Village Bay, as well as
looking at the evidence for plants grown in the
planticrues, where the use of medicinal plants has
been revealed. Work on the soils at An Lag has
shown that large volumes of soil were imported
into the enclosures to enhance fertility and provide
a good growing medium.
The Universities of Lampeter and Sheffield have a
long-term programme of research into the stone
tool industry which flourished on St Kilda, probably
from the early prehistoric period and through to at
least the Iron Age, or perhaps even to relatively
recent times. Excavations of quarry material have
shown that the landscape above and to the south
of the village has been substantially modified by
human activity.
44
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
c. Form and date of most recent
records of site
St Kilda benefits from having a number of
particularly detailed records of its historic buildings
and archaeological sites. The base-line record was
produced by the Royal Commission on the Ancient
and Historical Monuments of Scotland, consisting
of detailed survey of the Village Bay area, Gleann
Mor, and other principal sites, plus ground and
some elevational/cross-sectional illustrations of
standing buildings and other selected structures.
The RCAHMS survey has more recently been
supplemented by more detailed pieces of work,
including a comprehensive survey of the 1,430 or
so cleitean on the islands by Dr Mary Harman, and
by condition surveys of houses, blackhouses, other
buildings, walls and selected cleitean by Lorna
Johnstone, NTS St Kilda Archaeologist
1996-2000. Most of this information is now in the
public domain, being held in the National
Monuments Record of Scotland.
3
Two recent books on St Kilda
45
As noted above, more detailed archaeological and
palaeoenvironmental investigations have also take
place recently, the results of an on-going research
partnership between The National Trust for
Scotland and the Universities of Glasgow and
Durham, and also by the Universities of Sheffield
and Wales Aberystwyth and by the University of
Aberdeen. This and other archaeological, historical
and scientific research into the cultural heritage of
St Kilda is promoted and guided by the St Kilda
Archaeological Research Committee; a panel of
invited individuals and representatives from bodies
with an interest in the islandsâ heritage.
Present State of Conservation
Almost uniquely on a landscape scale in Scotland,
the continuing conservation aim for St Kilda is
largely to arrest deterioration of historic fabric, and
to âfossiliseâ the landscape as closely as possible
to its appearance when it first came into the care
of The National Trust for Scotland. Most large-
scale deviations from this philosophy relate to the
early infrastructural works associated with the
creation of the MoD Base in the late 1950s and
1960s, or to the careful and very sympathetic
restoration works of selected structures for
operational or interpretative reasons.
The current policy for standing fabric is firmly to
maintain the
status quo
, in an attempt to preserve
the spirit of the place as much as possible. To that
end, the NTS continues to send out annual
conservation Work Parties of volunteers of mixed
skills, who attend to most of the routine repairs
and also to some fairly substantial ones. Since
1996, in partnership with Historic Scotland, the
NTS has employed a seasonal St Kilda
Archaeologist, part of whose task has been to
ensure that adequate records are made of Work
Party repairs, and to guide this work according to
best conservation practice.
The St Kilda Archaeologist has also compiled
detailed written and photographic information
regarding the condition of archaeological sites and
historic buildings, and has produced an
Archaeological Action Plan (working draft) which
includes proposals for a prioritised programme of
monitoring and further recording as well as
targeted conservation actions. This working draft is
a key reference document, informing the formal
5-year Management Agreement between the NTS
and Historic Scotland, regarding permitted works
affecting the designated parts of St Kilda (see 4c
below). However, prioritisation of resources has
had to focus on the main settlement in Village Bay
and surrounding areas; outwith this, selected
cleitean have been identified for monitoring and
conservation. The possibly prehistoric structures in
Gleann Mor, are currently being assessed for
appropriate conservation actions.
d. Policies and programmes
related to the presentation
and promotion of the
property
The National Trust for Scotland has a policy of
open access to all its countryside properties, and
this applies to St Kilda â subject to certain
restrictions within the St Kilda bylaws. However,
St Kilda is the most remote inhabited island in
Great Britain and Ireland, and remains surprisingly
difficult to get to due to the ferocity and
unpredictability of the Atlantic Ocean and its
weather systems, and of the microclimate of
the islands themselves. Presentation and
promotion focuses as much on âremote accessâ
as on direct interpretation for those few visitors
(around 1,750 annually) who are lucky enough to
set foot on the islands.
3. Visitors on a guided tour
2. The Black Prince anchors in Village Bay
1. NNR sign
46
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Presentation on the Islands
As the only island on which people are likely to set
foot, presentation is focused on Hirta. SNHâs NNR
sign is positioned near the top of the pier to
provide visitors with basic information, maps and
to direct them to the Wardenâs office at the
Factorâs House. The preservation of the Village is
in itself a presentational effort, but the remains are
allowed to speak for themselves, and there is no
open-air interpretation, other than the NNR sign.
House No. 3, however, has been restored to house
a small museum in which a few authentic St Kildan
everyday artefacts are on show, and which
contains a great deal of information, presented on
information panels, about all aspects of the
islandsâ natural and cultural heritage. (The museum
displays and interpretative resources are in the
process of being updated and improved.) In
addition, House No. 6 has been restored to the
original room plan and external fittings and
appearance, based on old photographs, oral
history and documentary records.
A large proportion of visitors arrive at Hirta by
cruise ship and therefore have only a few hours to
spend on the island. For their use there is an
archaeological broadsheet for St Kilda, which
includes a map of the main areas and brief
descriptions of the principal features of interest.
This can be supplemented by the numerous
historical and contemporary accounts of the
islands (available in the small shop run on a
voluntary basis on behalf of the St Kilda Club), and
in particular, for the casual visitor, the colour NNR
leaflet and the illustrated popular guidebook by
David Quine (Quine, 2000). In addition, from the
late spring to early autumn months, both the St
Kilda Warden (Natural Heritage) and the St Kilda
Archaeologists take visitors on guided tours of the
Village area and beyond. SNH has produced a
Code of Conduct for visitors which is available to
all cruise ships and boat charters, asking them to
behave responsibly, and advising them of facilities
available on the island. The warden is always on
hand to answer queries and guide visitors around
the important features of the Village. The warden
also accompanies vessels on cruises around
Boreray and the stacks if required.
âRemote Accessâ
Because St Kilda is so inaccessible to the majority
of people who have an interest in it and would like
to experience going there, The National Trust for
Scotland, with funding from Historic Scotland,
Scottish Natural Heritage and others, has
established a substantial and very well-received
website: www.kilda.org.uk. There are links to these
agencies and to the sheep study for instance,
providing a wide range of information about the
site and the researches. The site has been widely
advertised and has become highly visible to web
search engines, and thereby makes an enormous
amount of information about St Kilda available to a
global audience. Statistics from the site,
established in January 2001, show that hundreds
of people from all over the world visit every week.
The site is designed to give visitors a flavour of all
aspects of the islands â natural history, built
heritage, ethnology, and St Kilda today and its
future. Different levels of information are available,
and there are many links to other sites with
content on St Kilda. A Guestbook records the
reactions of visitors from every continent, and
shows that people are being moved by the site
and are being caught up with the fascination for
the place. The website is under continuous
development, and promises to bring more sights
and sounds to its international audience. Major
future developments include the provision of a
Gaelic language version (the language of the
St Kildans), and the production of a childrenâs
section in conjunction with the nearest local school
â some 80km (50 miles) away.
St Kilda Explored
The enormous interest in St Kilda was
demonstrated in 1995-1996 when over 700,000
people were recorded to have visited the
âSt Kilda Exploredâ exhibition in the
Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow. Research for
the exhibition was used as the basis of the
current St Kilda website.
Promotion of the Site
The results of SNHâs underwater surveys were
brought together into an attractive exhibition that
has toured many parts of Scotland and the Outer
Hebrides. SNH has produced a video for sale that
includes all the highlights of these recent surveys;
versions are available with Gaelic or English
commentaries, together with a series of six free
posters that highlight the marine environment of
the archipelago. More recently a further two free
posters and postcards have been produced that
3
47
celebrate all aspects of the St Kilda WHS
experience. SNH also distributes to local Tourist
Information Offices throughout the Outer Hebrides
its colour, bilingual leaflet about the National
Nature Reserve, and is currently producing a glossy
booklet on the wildlife of St Kilda. They also
recently subsidised the Scottish Ornithologistsâ
Club to publish the revised
Birds of St Kilda
by
Stuart Murray, available to members and non-
members alike. Local SNH staff provide illustrated
lectures to local schools, visitors and community
groups in the Western Isles and provide
background information to a variety of students
undertaking projects about the islands; every few
years SNH-sponsored environmental competitions
to local schools are themed on National Nature
Reserves or St Kilda in particular.
The National Trust for Scotland is acutely aware
of the difficulties people experience in getting to
St Kilda, and helps facilitate access through its
own cruises, and also by providing opportunities
for people from 18 to 75 years old to participate in
active conservation on the islands through the
long-established St Kilda Work Parties. The Trust
also facilitates the St Kilda Club (which exists to
promote the conservation of the islands), and
works in association with cruise ships and with
local boat operators. All access opportunities are
promoted through the Trustâs St Kilda website, but
all means of visiting are inevitably expensive.
St Kilda Work Parties are heavily subsidised by the
NTS, with support from Historic Scotland, but
nevertheless cost participants in the region of
ÂŁ500 (around 750 euros) for the 16-day trip â which
includes food and accommodation but excludes
the cost of travel to and from Oban, the point of
departure from the mainland.
âSt Kilda Exploredâ exhibit - Kelvingrove Museum, 1995
W
o
r
l
d
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r
i
t
a
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e
S
i
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Images: John Baxter, David Donnan, Alistair Davidson, Rohan Holt.
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Images:
David Connor, Ka
te Northen, Rohan Holt, Sue Scott, SeaMap. Designed by Mode
1. Killer whale
2. Sheep and cottages
3. Scentless mayweed
4. Village Bay
5. Soay ram
6. Watching northern gannets
7. Soay cliffs
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
2
3
7
4
Management
49
4
5
6
â
â
a. Ownership
St Kilda is wholly owned on behalf of the
Scottish nation by the independent Scottish
conservation charity, The National Trust for
Scotland. The Trust has âbarony titleâ to the
foreshore â the area between mean high and
low water marks.
St Kilda will be managed as a model of integrated
conservation management, where natural and
historic interests are balanced together.
50
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
b. Legal Status
Cultural Heritage
Large areas of Hirta are included on the Schedule
of Ancient Monuments (SAM Map), and are
protected under Section 28 of the Ancient
Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
Under this Act, anyone found guilty of destroying
or damaging such protected places without lawful
excuse can be liable to a fine or imprisonment or
both. Historic Scotland acts for Scottish Ministers
on the management of the monuments, and
considers and decides upon any proposals that
might affect their preservation or setting.
The cultural landscape of Hirta makes a significant
contribution to the scenic qualities of the area.
c. Protective measures and
means of implementing
Cultural Heritage
Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Areas Act 1979, it is a criminal offence to alter,
damage or destroy a scheduled ancient monument
without the written consent of Scottish Ministers.
The use of metal detectors also requires
permission. Provision is made for the giving of
grants for the maintenance and management of
ancient monuments within the Act under two
schemes administered by Historic Scotland:
Ancient Monuments Grants, and Management
Agreements.
The day-to-day management of the scheduled
areas is controlled through a 5-year Management
Agreement between Historic Scotland and The
National Trust for Scotland in which conservation
and management activities are agreed and method
statements are appended. Historic Scotland also
monitors the management through regular visits by
Inspectors of Ancient Monuments, Architects and
other professional staff. The HS/NTS Management
Agreement includes the provision of a seasonal St
Kilda Archaeologist, who is based on the islands
during the summer months and who monitors and
advises on all works within and outwith the
scheduled areas. Activities not covered by the
Management Agreement are subject to individual
applications for Scheduled Monument Consent,
and, if consent is granted, works are monitored by
Historic Scotland.
The National Planning Policy Guideline Archaeology
and Planning (NPPG 5) and its associated Planning
Advice Note Archaeology â the Planning Process
and Scheduled Monument Procedures (PAN 42)
were issued by the Scottish Office (now the
Scottish Executive) in 1994. They provide advice to
planning authorities on how to deal with ancient
monuments under the development plan and
development control systems. Local authorities
should have ready access to a professionally
maintained Sites and Monuments Record, and
should take account of the cultural heritage in
Structure Plans, Local Plans and Development
Control. Many monuments that are not scheduled
are deemed to be of national or regional
importance, and are protected through the
planning legislation and individual Council policy.
4
Figure 4.1: Map of Hirta showing areas
protected under Section 28 of the Ancient
Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
51
The impact of development proposals on the
setting of scheduled monuments is not addressed
in the
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Areas Act 1979
and no additional controls result
from World Heritage Site designation, but both are
a material consideration in the planning system.
Section 15(1) (j) of the
Town and Country Planning
(General Development Procedure) Scotland Order
1992
,
as amended by Section (5) of the
Town and
Country Planning (General Development
Procedure) (Scotland) (Amendment (No2) Order
1994
requires planning authorities to consult
Scottish Ministers where a development may
affect the site of a scheduled monument or its
setting. With regard to the marine environment,
methodologies for Environmental Impact
Assessment and Strategic Environmental
Assessment would require impact on the World
Heritage Site, including visual impact, to be fully
addressed and mitigated.
The islands are covered by UK and Scottish
planning laws under which Comhairle nan Eilean
Siar has various powers and duties. The Structure
Plan prepared by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar,
approved by the Secretary of State for Scotland in
1988, is the principal strategic planning document.
This includes a variety of relevant policies,
including PD4 relating to the protection,
maintenance and enhancement of the natural and
built environment of the Western Isles, where
particular note will be taken of Scheduled Ancient
Monuments, archaeological sites and Listed
Buildings. A revised Structure Plan was open for
consultation until May 2002; this also seeks to
protect the cultural heritage (Policy SC8) and has
specific policies for Listed Buildings (RM16) and
Archaeological sites (RM18). Policy ED5 relates to
tourism developments, and makes a commitment
towards sustainable tourism. The Council employs
an archaeologist to advise on these matters.
The
Finalised Harris Local Plan
(2000) contains a
number of specific references to St Kilda. Policy
EN5 indicates that âthe Comhairle will not permit
development that would have an adverse affect on
any of the international or national environmental
designations afforded to St Kilda. An Environmental
Impact Assessment will be required for any
proposals that may adversely affect St Kildaâ.
In addition, Policy EN20 provides for the protection
not only of Scheduled Ancient Monuments, but of
other nationally important remains and their
settings, while policies EN14-18 relate to the
protection of the character and setting of Listed
Buildings and other buildings of significance.
Very little is known about the condition or existence
of historic wrecks around St Kilda, although there
is historical and first-hand evidence that some
wrecks do â or did â exist. Although not commonly
used, such remains could be protected under the
Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 that would afford
them statutory protection. Similarly, wrecks â both
ships and aeroplanes â can be designated under
the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986,
especially if they are formally considered to
be war graves.
The ownership by The National Trust for Scotland
offers other protection to the heritage assets of
the islands. The purposes of the Trust have been
defined in various Acts of Parliament, but the
principal purposes can be summarised in modern
terms as conservation and access. The Trustâs
Conservation Principles declare that âConservation
processes should seek to resolve conflicts, but
where irreconcilable differences between
conservation aims and other aims arise, conservation
will prevailâ. (Principle 7). In addition, St Kilda is
held inalienably, which provides a major obstacle
to compulsory purchase and to uncontrolled
activities by third parties. The National Trust
for Scotland has also created formal Bylaws
for St Kilda, which protect the natural and
cultural heritage from a variety of sources of
detrimental activity.
Landscape
The whole St Kilda archipelago has been designated
as a National Scenic Area by Scottish Ministers
and is subject to additional planning control to
conserve its outstanding scenic significance.
Where appropriate, applications covered under
NSA legislation are monitored by the Local
Authority and by Scottish Natural Heritage â the
advisors to Scottish Ministers on landscape
matters in Scotland.
However, NSA designation does not currently offer
an effective means of protecting the cultural
landscape.
52
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
d. Agency/agencies with
management authority
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) maintain ultimate
responsibility for the National Nature Reserve, but
from May 2003 largely devolved this function to
the owners, The National Trust for Scotland (NTS)
as an Approved Body. SNH will approve the NTS
Management Plan for the NNR and continue to
monitor the NNR, retaining its statutory role
regarding the SSSI, SPA, NSA, SAC and other
designations. Historic Scotland and the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are also
involved in the consents procedures under the
SSSI/European Regulations and, together with
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, in planning consents
under the NSA, etc. A sub-lease from SNH to the
MoD ensured consultation and co-operation with,
in the past the Royal Artillery, and then DERA who
ran the Range, and now the various contractors
(currently the independent company QinetiQ). In
return the staff at the Base fulfil an informal
monitoring presence on the island during the
winter on behalf of SNH and NTS.
i.
The National Trust for Scotland, Wemyss
House, 28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh
EH2 4ET, Scotland, United Kingdom
The National Trust for Scotland is an
independent charity, established in 1931, the
aims of which were defined in The National
Trust for Scotland Order Confirmation Acts of
Parliament in 1935 and subsequently, including
ââŚpromoting the permanent preservation for
the benefit of the nation of lands and buildings
in Scotland of historic or national interest or
natural beautyâŚâ
ii. Historic Scotland, Longmore House,
Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH
Scotland, United Kingdom
Historic Scotland is the executive agency
within The Scottish Executive responsible
for administering the laws concerning the
protection and management of the historic
environment, including ancient monuments
(buildings, ruins and archaeological sites).
The legislation concerned for St Kilda is
the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Areas Act 1979.
iii. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar,
Sandwick Road, Stornoway,
Western Isles HS1 2BW, Scotland,
United Kingdom
Amongst its many other duties, Comhairle nan
Eilean is responsible for Structure and Local
planning, and for development control in the
Western Isles. It also has powers under the
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas
Act 1979.
iv. Scottish Natural Heritage,
12 Hope Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 2AS,
Scotland, United Kingdom
Scottish Natural Heritage is an agency with
responsibility for administration of the Wildlife
and Countryside Act 1981. It is a statutory
consultee with respect to developments within
National Scenic Areas. It is the competent
authority with respect to Special Areas of
Conservation as explained in Scottish Office
Circular No. 6/1995.
e. Level at which management
is exercised (e.g. on site,
regionally) and name and
address of responsible person
for contact purposes
Overall responsibility for the management of the
islands of St Kilda lies with the NTS Regional
Director for the Highlands and Islands, based in
the Trustâs Inverness Office. Policy management is
the responsibility of the Strategic Management
Group, which includes NTS, SNH, HS, MoD and
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and is chaired by the
NTSâ Regional Conservation Manager for the
Highlands and Islands Region. Operational
management is the function of the Operational
Management Group, chaired by NTSâ Area
Manager for the Western Isles. Day-to-day
management is the responsibility of the
NTS Western Isles Area Manager, Scotland,
email: stkilda@nts.org.uk.
4
53
The principal point of contact on St Kilda is the
NTS Warden (Seasonal). The Warden is responsible
for visitor management and has other duties
concerned with nature conservation. The NTS
St Kilda Archaeologist (Seasonal) helps ensure that
the historic environment is monitored and that
proposed changes conform to best conservation
practice and to appropriate legislation.
Also Scottish Natural Heritage, Stilligarry,
Isle of South Uist HS8 5RS. (Phone 01870 620238;
Fax 01870 620350). As the Govermentâs advisors
on conservation, this office continues to monitor,
implement and advise upon natural heritage/
conservation/ landscape matters through statutory
procedures and European regulations. It also
supervises NTS management of the National
Nature Reserve.
The imposing cliffs of Boreray
54
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
f. Agreed plans related to
property (e.g. regional, local
plan, conservation plan,
tourism development plan)
As indicated above, the Western Isles Structure
Plan, both in current and revised draft form, makes
provision for the protection of archaeological sites
and historic buildings of significance. These
provisions are reinforced by the Finalised Harris
Local Plan, showing the commitment of the local
authority to the conservation of the special
qualities of places like St Kilda.
The Corporate Plan 1999-2004 of The National
Trust for Scotland reinforces the statutory
purposes of the Trust, all of which are relevant to
the Trustâs care of St Kilda:
⢠to ensure the conservation, through ownership
or other means, of nationally important land,
buildings and contents;
⢠to enable people to visit and enjoy the Trustâs
properties, to see and experience them in ways
which are consistent with their conservation;
⢠to influence and persuade others by example to
share and support the Trustâs aims and work.
The NTS Conservation Principles now apply to all
of the Trustâs properties, and aspire towards best
practice for the conservation of the natural and
cultural heritage. Amongst other things, the
Principles suggest that: conservation decisions
should be based on a systematic approach to
evaluation of significance based on thorough
knowledge and understanding; and that
conservation should take into consideration all
aspects of significance, both tangible and
intangible.
The St Kilda Management Plan, a joint document
produced by the NTS on behalf of those bodies
with a direct responsibility for the management of
St Kilda and which SNH approves as a working
document for the National Nature Reserve, is
described in 4j.
The marine SAC management scheme is a joint
document that will be produced by a group of
relevant and competent authorities to ensure the
maintenance of favourable conservation status of
the marine features of the marine SAC.
g. Sources and levels of finance
Funding for the NTS management operations on St
Kilda comes from a variety of sources. The core
funding is from an NTS St Kilda Fund, which
recently has been topped-up from the Trustâs
Islands Fund. This covers the funding shortfall for
the Trustâs operations. The shortfall is reduced
through various grants and donations.
Funding for the Wardenâs post comes from SNH,
while 50% of the cost of the St Kilda Archaeologist
is funded by Historic Scotland under a 5-year
Management Agreement, which also covers 50%
of the deficit of running the St Kilda Work Parties
(building conservation). SNH has contributed
considerable funding to scientific survey to date
and will continue to do so as appropriate. In
addition, together with NTS, SNH also sponsor and
encourage the Soay sheep research. Both SNH
and Historic Scotland have also contributed
towards the cost of creating and maintaining the
St Kilda website, and to a variety of other activities
on St Kilda.
The St Kilda Club primarily exists to raise funds on
behalf of the NTS for the benefit of St Kilda. The
Club regularly makes substantial annual donations.
Other charities also contribute towards the Trustâs
work on St Kilda, such as Scottish Heritage USA,
the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Peter
Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust, the Seven
Pillars of Wisdom Charitable Trust, and individual
donors. Such donations are often given towards
specific projects, such as the website, the
upgrading of the museum, and particularly the
archaeological excavations that have occurred
almost every year since the mid-1980s.
4
55
h. Sources of expertise and
training in conservation and
management techniques
Cultural Heritage
The St Kilda Archaeologist is a qualified and
experienced archaeologist, with proven skills in
archaeological fieldwork and abilities in interpreting
the historic environment. Training is given in first
aid and usually also boat handling, and further
training in drystone dyking techniques, and in the
use of lime mortar in building repairs is also
usually given. Professional guidance is given by the
NTS Highlands and Islands Region Archaeologist, a
qualified and experienced archaeologist with wide-
ranging expertise. An agreed programme of
continuing professional development is provided.
Advice may also be given by the Trustâs Senior
Archaeologist, based at Head Office in Edinburgh.
As the head of a conservation discipline, this
person will be a highly experienced archaeologist
of national standing.
The St Kilda Archaeologist also benefits from the
input of the NTS Highlands and Islands Region
Building Surveyor, who is a qualified surveyor with
extensive experience in the conservation of historic
structures. The Regional Building Surveyor is
responsible for managing the maintenance and
repair of the historic buildings of St Kilda, and may
call upon the advice of the Trustâs Senior Buildings
Advisor based in Edinburgh.
Archaeological and historic buildings conservation
advice and guidance is also available from the
Historic Scotland Inspector of Ancient Monuments
and District Architect for the area. Further advice is
available from Historic Scotlandâs regional
Monument Conservation Unit, and from the
Technical Conservation, Research and Education
Division of Historic Scotland based in Edinburgh.
The St Kilda Archaeologist also benefits from the
advice of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siarâs
Archaeologist, and of the Historic Scotland Field
Monuments Warden for the area. Further advice is
available from the NTS Regional Countryside
Manager and Regional Conservation Manager.
i. Visitor facilities and statistics
There are two main categories of visitor: those
staying overnight on the islands and casual visitors
from charter boats, yachts and cruise ships. The
main difference is that those staying overnight on
the islands â NTS Work Party members, campers,
researchers, workers (generally employed by or
contracted to MoD/QinetiQ) on the MoD Base â
are permitted to use various accommodation
facilities and in particular may use the âablutions
blockâ which houses toilets and showers. Camping
for up to six people is permitted by The National
Trust for Scotland by prior arrangement. The
restriction in numbers is because of limited water
supply in dry summers and the restricted washing
and toilet facilities available.
Other visitor facilities on the island consist of: the
Museum (House No. 3) that has displays about the
natural heritage of the islands; the reconstructed
house (House 6); a shop run by the St Kilda Club
selling souvenirs, books, postcards, etc., and the
âPuff Innâ bar run by MoD/QinetiQ staff. In addition,
there is a small orientation point at the pier with an
NNR sign that explains a little about the island, and
the two members of conservation staff are often
able to give guided walks to visitors. Visitors from
cruise ships and small boats often have their own
guide â generally taking advantage of the St Kilda
Archaeological Broadsheet and other publications.
A colour bilingual (English and Gaelic) National
Nature Reserve leaflet has been produced by SNH
and is available free to all visitors. SNH have also
produced various posters, postcards and videos
about St Kilda, especially its marine interest.
The Street, Hirta
56
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Every year a seasonal warden is resident on Hirta
from April to September inclusive. All visitors are
asked to report to the warden on arrival. A guided
tour of the Village area is offered to all visitors and
if walkers wish to wander beyond that they are
requested, for health and safety reasons, not to do
so alone. Visitors are requested to consult the
warden before landing on any of the other islands.
The warden will often accompany vessels on a
cruise around Boreray and the stacks, which offers
an awe-inspiring experience around the towering
sea stacks and impressive seabird colonies. There
is no tourist accommodation on Hirta other than
the small campsite; so most visitors stay on board
their vessel anchored in Village Bay overnight.
Visitor statistics have been collected by the St Kilda
Warden for over 15 years:
Virtually all visitors arrive between April and
September. An analysis of visitors was made for
the period 1986-1997 with 74% being âgeneral
visitorsâ, 11% being divers, 6% NTS/SNH work
parties and staff, 5% the crew of MoD vessels,
and 3% school groups. The doubling in visitor
numbers between 1986 and 1997 is due almost
entirely to a slight increase in cruise vessels
(normally carrying around 100 passengers) and the
more erratic visits by one large cruise ship in
particular with up to 350 passengers. These
visitors are only landed for a day trip ashore and
are supervised by the warden.
The NTS maintain a popular and comprehensive
website about St Kilda with links to the NTS, SNH,
JNCC, the Soay Sheep Research Project, etc.
Although it is probably too early to provide
accurate figures, the average number of discrete
visits to the St Kilda website numbers several
hundred per week â some visitors remaining in the
site for an hour or more.
4
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
S
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-2
0
0
1
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Figue 4.2: St Kilda: Visitor Trends
Year
57
j. Site Management Plan and
statement of objectives
St Kilda is already a World Heritage Site on
account of its terrestrial natural heritage, and in
addition is a National Nature Reserve: both of
these designations include a commitment to
produce and maintain a Site Management Plan,
and both Scottish Natural Heritage and The
National Trust for Scotland have had and continue
to have an active Site Management Plan for St
Kilda. The 1996-2001 St Kilda Management Plan
recently expired, and is being replaced by a 2002-
2007 Plan (Annexed to formal Revised Nomination
Document submitted to the World Heritage
Committee, and available for comment from:
The National Trust for Scotland, Wemyss House,
28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4ET, Scotland,
United Kingdom. It is hoped to make the
Management Plan available electronically through
the Trustâs St Kilda website www.kilda.org.uk.
The most relevant guiding principles of management
are as follows:
1. St Kilda will be managed as a model of
integrated conservation management, where
natural and cultural interests are considered
together.
2. The principal land-use of the islands will be
conservation.
3. For natural heritage interests, natural processes
will normally be allowed to continue without
intervention.
4. For cultural heritage interests, conservation
action will proceed on the basis of minimum
intervention required to retain the significance
of the site.
5. The sheep on St Kilda will continue to be
treated as wild and unmanaged animals.
6. For the marine natural heritage, the same level
of protection as that on land will be sought.
7. New developments will only proceed if judged
to have minimal detrimental effect on the site.
8. Scientific research that improves the
understanding of the property in order to guide
its management will be encouraged.
9. Education and interpretation programmes will
instil a long-lasting appreciation for the qualities
of this unique site and for the importance of
sustainable conservation on St Kilda and
across the globe.
10. Access for visitors, whether in person or
through interpretative materials will continue to
be provided.
A cruise around the cliffs
58
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Objectives and prescriptions will address
immediate management priorities to deliver:
1. Extension of World Heritage Site status to
include the marine environment and cultural
landscape.
2. A framework to involve partner organisations in
supporting the integrated conservation
management of the property.
3. Enhanced staffing and financial resources to
meet the operational needs and vision for the
property.
In addition, there will be a focus on continuous
improvement of conservation management as
well as the provision of access and benefit, to
achieve the following outcomes:
4. Continued conservation of historic and natural
features to maintain them in favourable
condition, ensuring no loss or damage to
significant features.
5. Acting to mitigate threats to key features.
6. Enhanced knowledge and understanding of the
islands and their cultural and natural features,
and greater promulgation of the research
results to share knowledge and understanding.
7. Continued provision of informed, responsible,
virtual and enjoyable access.
8. Establishment of education and interpretation
programmes that promote a greater
understanding both of St Kilda and of
sustainable conservation management
amongst visitors and non-visitors, particularly
the establishment of interpretation facilities on
the Western Isles.
9. Regular liaison with the local Western Isles
community to understand each otherâs
aspirations for St Kilda.
10. Assessment of options for increasing the
property endowment.
k. Staffing levels (professional,
technical, maintenance)
Two members of staff are currently based on
St Kilda during the summer months. The St Kilda
Warden spends around six months per annum on
Hirta, involved in visitor management and some
nature conservation duties. The St Kilda
Archaeologist spends over four months a year on
the islands, with duties ranging from monitoring
monument condition, supervising archaeological
fieldwork, monitoring conservation work of Work
Parties, and informing visitors about the cultural
heritage of the islands. These staff are managed
by the NTS Western Isles Area Manager based
on Benbecula.
St Kilda Work Parties are administered through the
well-proven NTS Thistle Camp mechanism, with
significant input from the NTS Western Isles Area
Manager. An Inverness-based Regional Building
Surveyor ensures that the buildings of St Kilda are
maintained in favourable condition. Similarly, the
Inverness-based NTS Regional Archaeologist has
an over-arching responsibility for devising
management and maintenance systems, and
ensuring quality control appropriate to the level of
significance of the remains. Backup from NTS
Head Office staff and from Historic Scotland staff
is described in 4h above.
4
Stac Lee
59
1. Boreray
2. Roseroot and sea pink
3. Diver
4. Sea anemone
5. Fieldmouse
6. Headstones
7. Black-legged kittiwake
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
2
3
7
5
Factors Affecting the Site
â
61
4
5
a. Development Pressure
(e.g. encroachment, adaptation,
agriculture, mining)
St Kilda is not deemed under any development
threat. The MoD Base was already underway
when the property was acquired by NTS and
the NNR declared by the Nature Conservancy
(the government grant-in-aid body that is now
Scottish Natural Heritage). Since then the
development of the Base and its facilities has
been subject to rigorous scrutiny and control
in keeping with the international status of the
property. Co-operation between MoD, NTS
and SNH has been excellent, manifested in a
regular tri-partite annual meeting to discuss
management. An Annual Operational Plan will
be agreed between NTS, SNH, HS and
MoD/QinetiQ which will be discussed and
agreed annually to be implemented with
regular liaison at a local level. Local SNH staff
and NTS staff from the mainland liaise with
the Range staff on a routine basis.
Other than frequent and often ferocious storms,
large-scale natural disasters are unlikely on
St Kilda.
â
6
62
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Developments on St Kilda are carefully controlled
by The National Trust for Scotland and by the
statutory agencies. Almost all development relates
to the use of the MoD Base (which largely lies
outwith the scheduled area). Apart from a long-
term strategy of providing protective cladding to
the ageing buildings on the Base, no new
developments of any significance are being
proposed. Beyond the Base, the restoration
programme for historic structures has now been
completed, and the only additional building which
may be considered for reconstruction in the near
future would be a blackhouse adjacent to House 6,
which would become part of the interpretative
reconstruction of an early 20th-century domestic
unit. There are no foreseeable changes to the
current land-use beyond the base: no agricultural
or other organised activity occurs on any of the
islands other than that associated with the artillery-
tracking facility.
Archaeological deposits on the islands are arguably
under pressure from the work of archaeological
researchers. This work is, however, very closely
monitored, and invasive research is only permitted
following scrutiny by the St Kilda Archaeological
Research Committee, and with the appropriate
consents from Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural
Heritage, Scottish Environment Protection Agency
and The National Trust for Scotland.
b. Environmental pressures (e.g.
pollution, climate change)
Natural Heritage
The main potential threat is the accidental
reintroduction of alien species, both plants and
animals. Fortunately the number of human visitors
per year is small so the opportunities for other
invading plants and animals to arrive is minimal.
Landing by visitors on the islands and stacks other
than Hirta is strictly controlled (for reasons of both
accidental introduction of new plant seeds or small
animals and for Health and Safety reasons). The
warden on Hirta monitors arrivals during the visitor
season in summer. No vessel is allowed to tie up
alongside the small pier (which is barely suitable
anyway) and all visitors by boat decant into small
tenders to come ashore at the steps on the pier.
Landings are rarely possible anywhere else.
Supplies for the base arrive either by helicopter, or
by landing craft. The vessels are screened for rats
and other undesirable species and the warden is
equipped with cage traps, etc. in the event of any
mammals getting ashore. There is a very low risk
of non-native marine species being introduced,
either through ship ballast or as fouling organisms
falling off the hull of visiting vessels. No dogs are
allowed on the island to minimise disturbance to
nesting birds and sheep, and to prevent the
accidental introduction of sheep parasites.
5
Cleitean above the head dyke
63
Cultural Heritage
Most of the standing structures and archaeological
sites are under no particular threat from
environmental conditions, other than their everyday
exposure to the sometimes ferocious elements on
St Kilda. A very small number of sites are under
threat from coastal erosion, which is likely to
become worse if there is an increase in storminess
linked to global climate change. Of particular note,
and under regular monitoring, is the landfall at
Village Bay, where archaeological deposits from as
early as the Neolithic period (perhaps 5,000+ years
ago) are eroding from the cliff face, while the Store
is just over a metre from the start of the beach.
The site of a âboat-shaped settingâ at The Gap was
recently excavated in advance of further cliff-falls
in the area, and the remaining structural elements
are expected to succumb to cliff-fall at some time
in the next few decades.
Because there are no rabbits, moles or other
burrowing mammals on St Kilda, and of the
burrowing birds the Atlantic puffins do not
colonise known archaeological sites, although the
petrels do, animal-related threats are minimal,
although some conservation work does get
hampered by the presence of nesting birds â
especially northern fulmars. The lack of trees on
the islands also eliminates a common threat to
archaeology, but bracken rhizomes in the Village
are thought to be damaging â causing
âbioturbationâ of stratified archaeological deposits.
Recent research has suggested the expansion of
bracken in this area, and action is programmed to
assess the damage being done.
c. Natural disasters and
preparedness (earthquakes,
floods, fires, etc.)
Other than frequent and often ferocious storms,
large-scale natural disasters are unlikely on St Kilda.
Coastal erosion through storms has recently
increased, and the Store is now under threat of
being undermined. Research is currently underway
to consider whether the Store can be saved
without compromising the other heritage values
of Village Bay.
Storms have regularly caused damage to the roofs
of the historic structures in Village Bay, but their
repair is seen as being part of a regular process
of maintenance, rather than a response to a
natural disaster.
Excavation at The Gap
64
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
d. Visitor/tourism pressure
The remoteness, expense of transport, lack of
landing facilities, limited accommodation and toilet
facilities, water shortages in summer and the total
unpredictability of the weather all conspire to
impose a limit on visitor numbers. Less than two
thousand visit annually, mostly from yachts, charter
vessels and a few larger cruise ships. Helicopters,
which might offer highly disruptive and dangerous
landing opportunities on the other islands and
stacks of the archipelago, are prohibited. There is a
helipad on Hirta for the regular re-supply
helicopters and for emergencies but the only
permissible flight path is directly into Village Bay
from the sea and out again. Low-flying aircraft over
the island are discouraged and minimal and,
because of the high possibility of bird-strike, not
without considerable risk.
Most visitors come for the St Kilda experience, to
enjoy its dramatic scenery, its extraordinary history,
and its wonderful wildlife. Divers charter vessels to
experience the exciting undersea world around St
Kildaâs shores but other recreational activities, such
as rock climbing, are discouraged. Disturbance to
nesting seabirds and damage to the geology and
vegetation of the sea cliffs could result, not to
mention the extreme difficulties of executing any
cliff rescue. The warden, armed with the bylaws, is
an effective âpolicingâ presence and visitor access
is difficult and minimal in the winter months.
The ambience and fragility of the grass-covered
street in the Village could be spoilt by excessive
visitor numbers, but the inaccessibility of the place
prevents large number of people from being able
to visit and acts as a regulator to visitor pressure.
There is no runway on the islands, and helicopter
access is almost entirely restricted to official
flights; even these can be hampered for days or
even weeks at a time by weather conditions â
especially high winds, and mist formed by the
island's microclimate. The vast majority of visitors
must therefore gain access by the sea â either on
cruise ships, day-trip boats, yachts, or sea-going
canoes. All access by sea is subject to suitable
weather conditions, and the tiny pier is not capable
of taking vessels much larger than inflatable
dinghies. Even if boats manage to get to Village
Bay, the often rough conditions may well prevent
their passengers from landing. It is therefore not
anticipated that visitor numbers will increase
significantly over the next few years, in which case
the current level of pressure is not considered to
be particularly damaging to significant features of
the cultural heritage.
e. Number of inhabitants within
site
The Army Base has the capacity to accommodate
up to 30 personnel. Currently the Base is
maintained by a minimum of 12 civilian staff
who work a rota of time on and off the island,
but can reach full complement for short periods
with visiting contractors, official visitors, etc. There
are no permanent full-time inhabitants of any of
the island. Up to 15 sheep researchers can be on
the island during the height of their season, and
during summer there is a seasonal Warden and
the St Kilda Archaeologist.
5
The cleit at âthe end of the worldâ
65
1. Thistles
2. Sea stacs
3. Sunrise
4. Great skua
5. Starfish
6. Soay lamb
7. Jewel anemone
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
1
2
3
7
6
Monitoring
A census of all seabirds on the archipelago
takes place every 15 years (every 10 years for
northern gannets) and the warden monitors
breeding success of certain species such as
black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars and
skuas each summer. In addition, the JNCC
monitored northern fulmar, common guillemot
and razorbill numbers in selected plots in
1990, 1993, 1996 and 1999. Scottish Natural
Heritage has annually monitored breeding
productivity of northern fulmars (since 1989)
and of black-legged kittiwakes (since 1986)
while CEH analyse northern gannet eggs at
regular intervals, for the presence of
pesticides and other chemical pollutants.
67
4
5
â
â
a. Key indicators for measuring
state of conservation
The warden monitors visitors and activities
while collating natural history records.
He/she undertakes periodic counts of birds
and sheep while the universities co-operating
on the sheep study undertake an annual
census of the sheep on Hirta. Whenever the
opportunity arises the warden will attempt
sheep counts on Soay and Boreray, although
numbers fluctuate from year to year no
significant trend has yet been detected.
Because of the way the site is managed, the state
of conservation is very closely monitored.
6
68
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Within the St Kilda candidiate marine Special Area
of Conservation, monitoring/surveillance of specific
marine features will be carried out over a rolling
six-year programme. The features for which the
marine SAC has been identified are characteristic
rocky reef habitats associated with vertical rock
walls, overhangs, ledges and surge gullies. Also
included are the numerous submerged and
partially submerged sea caves. The broad scale
surveys carried out by SNH in 1997 and 2000
provide a comprehensive and extensive baseline
showing seabed topography and character and will
guide more detailed monitoring efforts in the
future. This will include the use of video
documentation obtained from remotely operated
vehicles or drop down equipment deployed at deep
water sites and scuba diver observation where it is
considered appropriate to do so. At the same time
when monitoring the marine SAC features other
habitats, not included within the SAC designation
(due to their omission from the Habitats Directive
Annex 1), such as the deep sublittoral sediment
areas will be monitored also.
Because of the way the site is managed, the
conservation is very closely monitored. The first
job each season is to examine the features in and
around Village Bay and report any collapses of built
historic structures â including drystone walls and
enclosures, as well as damage to mortared
buildings. This ensures that immediate
conservation work can be agreed with Historic
Scotland. In addition, the working draft of the
Archaeological Action Plan details the monitoring
work that is required on a cyclical basis, for
example the Gleann Mor structures. The very large
number of historic features on Hirta, and the
inaccessability of the other islands of the
archipelago, has necessitated a prioritised
monitoring regime, based on the significance of
each feature or group of features. For example,
around 300 of the 1270+ cleitean on Hirta have
been selected for regular monitoring.
Monitoring information is recorded on a database
and photographically. Depending on available
resources, appropriate actions are prescribed to
prevent the deterioration of built structures and to
repair those which have suffered damage since the
last monitoring period. Details of monitoring actions,
and of conservation actions, are added to The
National Trust for Scotland Sites and Monuments
Record database where they form a permanent,
easily accessed record.
All actions on the islands which have the potential
to disturb archaeological levels or historic buildings
are carried out under archaeological supervision,
having first selected a strategy of works designed
to cause least damage. Cables, for instance, are
normally laid on the surface rather than being
dug into the ground. Summaries of all works
that have required the attention of an archaeologist
are contained in the St Kilda Archaeologistâs
Annual Report.
The Work Party Leader reports on those
conservation activities carried out by voluntary
Work Parties shortly after returning from St Kilda.
Leadersâ reports are summarised by NTS staff, and
a report is published in the annual St Kilda Mail
(the publication of the St Kilda Club), and a verbal
report is given to the Annual General Meeting of
the St Kilda Club. The report is also submitted to
Historic Scotland for scrutiny, and the works are
discussed at the annual âTripartiteâ meeting
between the NTS, Scottish Natural Heritage, the
Ministry of Defence, and Historic Scotland.
Details of all archaeological excavations or of other
pieces of research that affect the physical remains
are summarised within a few months of fieldwork,
and summary reports are disseminated to
appropriate archaeological resource managers and
to local and national archives. A short summary of
the yearâs fieldwork activities is published annually
in the archaeological journal
Discovery and
Excavation in Scotland
.
The Historic Scotland Field Monument Warden
aims to visit St Kilda every three-five years in order
to report on the state of upstanding and buried
archaeological features within the areas
designated as scheduled ancient monuments;
it is planned to devolve some of this recording to
the St Kilda Archaeologist. The Field Monument
Warden contributes towards a database of
information relating to the state of preservation of
the Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
6
69
b. Administrative arrangements
for monitoring property
The St Kilda Archaeologist produces an Annual
Report of activities, including all activities
associated with the historic fabric of the islands.
This report is submitted to Historic Scotland for
scrutiny in accordance with the Trustâs obligations
under the Management Agreement with Historic
Scotland related to conservation works on
scheduled areas. The St Kilda Archaeologist also
produces more specific reports relating to
monitoring and recording projects.
Representatives of Historic Scotland visit St Kilda
at least once a year to examine work carried out
the previous year and to discuss the programme of
conservation and other works being proposed for
the coming season. That meeting is attended by
NTS Regional conservation staff, who are
responsible for fulfilling the Trustâs obligations
under the Historic Scotland Management
Agreement, but who also have a responsibility for
the whole historic landscape â large tracts of
which are not covered by the scheduling.
The St Kilda warden/ranger submits monthly
reports to NTS and SNH and an annual report to
the Tri-partite Committee. SNH logs all Natura/
SSSI/NSA casework.
c. Results of previous reporting
exercises
National Trust for Scotland Work Parties have been
involved in the active conservation of the built
structures and archaeology of St Kilda since 1958,
and from 1963 have produced sporadic reports
outlining the nature of the work done by the
Parties. Recording became more formalised
towards the end of the 1980s, and in the past
decade the summaries have been completed
without fail. A new initiative has been the
compilation of conservation records relating to
individual buildings or features, as opposed to
chronologically-ordered exercises. These reports
are now being compiled and kept up to date,
enabling an at-a-glance appraisal of the degree of
reconstruction or restoration undertaken on each
feature over many years. The very severe weather
conditions on St Kilda have taken their toll on most
standing structures, and much rebuilding of fallen
drystone walling, and repointing of mortared
structures has occurred. Nevertheless, this work
has taken place under the guidance of the best
conservation practice of the time, which has
meant that rather than now being a series of highly
ruinous shells and piles of stones, the essential
character and integrity of the structures has been
retained as far as possible.
Dun Gap - Village Bay
1. Northern fulmar
2. Winter
3. Cleitean
4. Sea anemone
5. Minke whale
6. Boreray- north coast
7. Levenish at sunset
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
7
1
2
3
â
71
â
7
Documentation
... they are kind and hospitable in the highest
degree; observe the most scrupulous regard for
truth; and are obliging and attentive to strangers
to a most pleasing extent. They are celebrated for
the goodness of their singing and their cheeses...
from:
Expeditions to the Hebrides
by George Clayton Atkinson, 1831
5
6
4
72
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
a. Photographs, slides and,
where available, film/video
Extensive documentary, photographic records and
videos, together with collections of archaeological
finds and other artefacts are available from a
number of sources (see 4d below).
A representative selection of photographic slides
and video are included with this submission.
b. Copies of site management
plans and extracts from other
plans relevant to the site
The 2002-2007 St Kilda NNR Management Plan is
in a separate document, submitted with this
revised nomination.
A rare picture inside the schoolroom
7
73
c. Selected Bibliography
Abraham, D.A. and Ritchie, J.D. 1991 âThe Darwin
complex, a Tertiary igneous centre in the Northern
Rockall Troughâ
Scottish Journal of Geology
,
27
,
113â125
Acland, A. 1981
A Devon Family: The Story of the
Aclands,
Phillimore & Co, Chichester
Admiralty 1865 Chart 2474
Hebrides or Western
Isles from Barra Head to Scarpa Island,
and
subsequent editions
Admiralty 1911 Chart 1144
Plans in the Hebrides
and subsequent editions
Admiralty 1934
West Coast of Scotland Pilot
London (8th edition.)
Allen, J. 1880 âNotes on wooden tumbler locksâ
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland,
14
, (1879â80), 149â162
Ancrum, M. 1985
Nomination of St Kilda for
inclusion in the World Heritage List
, Edinburgh
Anderson, A. 1957 âA census of Fulmars on Hirta,
July, 1956â
Scottish Naturalist,
69
, 113â116
Anderson, A. 1962 âA count of fulmars on Hirta,
St Kilda, in July 1961â
Scottish Naturalist
,
70
, 120â125
Anderson, I.F. 1937
Across Hebridean Seas
London
Anderson, J. 1875 âNotes on the relics of the
Viking period of the Northmen in Scotland,
illustrated by specimens in the Museumâ
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland,
10
(1872â4), 536â594
Anderson, P.J. 1917
A concise bibliography of the
printed and ms. Material on the history, topography
and institutions of the burgh, parish and shire of
Inverness
(10. Other Parishes: Harris, St Kilda,
172â176) Aberdeen
Andrew, K.M. 1970 âKingdom of the Birdsâ
Scots
Magazine
,
August
, 414â423
Anon.
c.
1594 âA short Description of the Western
Isles of Scotland, lying in the Deucalidon Sea,
being above 300. Also the Isles of Orknay and
Shetland or Hethlandâ printed as part of
Certain
Matters concerning the Realme of Scotland
composed together
London.
Anon. 1595 â
The Description of the Isles of
Scotland
â (probably 1577â95) printed as appendix
to Skene, W.F.
Celtic Scotland
, 1880-3, 428â440
Anon. 1732
Description at St Kilda The most
western Isle of Scotland, giving an account of its
situation, extent, soil, product, bay, and adjacent
island of rocks Register of the Great Seal of
Scotland
Ms. 914.117, Edinburgh
Anon. 1751
A Voyage to Scotland, the Orkneys and
the Western Isles of Scotland,
C. Corbet, London
Anon. 1822 âGaelic School Reportsâ
Annual Reports
of the Society for the Support of Gaelic Schools,
11
,
1822
Anon. 1823 âGaelic School Reportsâ
Annual Reports
of the Society for the Support of Gaelic Schools,
12
,
1823
Anon. 1824 âGaelic School Reportsâ
Annual Reports
of the Society for the Support of Gaelic Schools,
13
,
1824
Anon. 1825 âGaelic School Reportsâ
Annual Reports
of the Society for the Support of Gaelic Schools,
14
,
1825
Anon. 1826 âGaelic School Reportsâ
Annual Reports
of the Society for the Support of Gaelic Schools,
15
,
1826
Anon. 1846 âThe story of Lady Grangeâ
Chambers
Edinburgh Journal,
114
, March 7, 45â148
Anon. 1898 âSt Kilda, a rock in the British Atlanticâ
Eclectic Magazine
,
131
, New York, 87
Anon. 1906
Holiday Tours to the Western Highlands
and Islands, Including the Romantic Island of St
Kilda
Glasgow
Anon. 1913 âAscent of Stack na Biorrach, St Kildaâ
Alpine Journal,
27
, 195â202
Anon. 1926 âSt Kildaâ
British Medical Journal,
2
,
80â81
Anon. 1957 âAn expedition to Hirtaâ
Scottish Field,
October 1957
Anon. 1957 âAnimals and humans at St Kildaâ
Discovery,
August
, 344â348
Anon. 1973 âChildhood days on St Kildaâ Gairloch
(reprint of Cameron, articles in
Oban Times
, 1969)
74
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Armstrong, Rev. E.A. 1953 âThe history, behaviour
and breeding-biology of the St Kilda Wrenâ
Auk,
70
,
127â150
Armstrong, Rev. E.A. 1955
The Wren
London
Armstrong, E.A. 1959 âThe behaviour and breeding
environment of the St Kilda wrenâ
British Birds
,
52
,
136-138
Arnet, H. (ed.)
Extracts from the Records of the
Burgh of Edinburgh
1701â1718
Arrowsmith, A. 1809
Memoir relative to the
construction of the Map of Scotland published by
him in 1807
London
Atkinson, G.C. 1831
A few Weeksâ Ramble among
the Hebrides in the Summer of 1831
Ms. Account
in NTS Archive
Atkinson, G.C. 1832 âNotice of St Kildaâ
Transactions of the Natural History Society of
Northumberland,
2
, 215â225
Atkinson, G.C. 1838 âAn account of an expedition
to St Kilda in 1831â
Transactions of the Natural
History Society of Northumberland. Durham and
Newcastle,
2
, 215â225, map P1 III
Atkinson, R. and Ainslie, J. 1940 âBritish breeding
status of Leachâs fork-tailed Petrelâ
British Birds,
34
,
50â55
Atkinson, R. 1947 âStudies of some species rarely
photographed .vi. The St Kilda wrenâ
British Birds,
40
, 145 pls.12â15
Atkinson, R. 1949
Island Going
London (Reprint,
1995 Birlinn, Edinburgh)
Bagenal, T.B. 1953 âThe birds on St Kilda 1952â
Scottish Naturalist,
65
, 19â24
Bagenal, T.B. 1957 âVertical range of some littoral
animals on St Kildaâ
Scottish Naturalist,
69
, 50â51
Bagenal, T.B. 1958 âThe feeding of nestling St Kilda
Wrensâ,
Bird Study,
5
, 83â87
Baillie, Lady, of Polkemmet 1875 âA short visit to St
Kilda by a Lady: 1874â
Church of Scotland
Missionary Record
,
January 1875
, 254â257
Baldwin, J. 1974 âSea bird fowling in Scotland and
Faroeâ
Folk Life,
12
, 60â103
Bancroft, D.R. 1993 âGenetic variation and fitness
in Soay sheepâ Ph.D.
Thesis, University of
Cambridge
Bancroft, D.R. 1995 âA microsatellite polymorphism
at the ovine pituitary adenylate cyclase activating
polypeptide gene which can be co-amplified with
two other lociâ
Animal Genetics,
26
, 59
Bancroft, D.R., Pemberton J.M. and King P.W. 1995
âExtensive protein and microsatellite variability in
an isolated, cyclic ungulate populationâ
Heredity,
74
, 326â336
Bancroft, D.R., Pemberton, J.M., Albon, S.D.,
Robertson, A., MacColl, A.D.C., Smith, J.A.,
Stevenson, I.R. and Clutton-Brock, T.H., 1995
âMolecular genetic variation and individual survival
during population crashes of an unmanaged
ungulate populationâ
Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society,
347
, 263â273
Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. 1899 âOn the species of
the genus
Mus
inhabiting St. Kilda.â
Proceedings of
the Zoological Society London
, 77â88
Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. 1899 âOn two recently
described mice from St Kildaâ
Annals of Scottish
Natural History,
31
, 129â140
Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. 1900 âOn geographical and
individual variation in
Mus sylvaticus
and its alliesâ
Proceedings of the Zoological Society London,
387â428
Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. 1906 âOn a collection of
mice (
Mus hirtensis
and
M. muralis
) from St Kildaâ
Annals of Scottish Natural History,
57
, 1â4
Barrett-Hamilton, G.E.H. 1910
A History of British
Mammals
London
Barrington, R.M. 1866 âNotes on the flora of St
Kildaâ
Journal of Botany,
24
, 213â216
Barrington, R.M. 1884 âThe St Kilda Wrenâ
Zoologist,
8
, 383â385
Barrington, R.M. 1913 âAscent of Stack na Biorrach,
St Kildaâ
Alpine Journal,
27
, 195â202
Barron, J. 1912 âThe Northern Institution and its
leading members 1825â1835â
Inverness Courier,
Inverness
Barry, J. 1980 âAircraft wrecks on St Kildaâ
After the
Battle,
30
, 28â43
7
75
Basham, S. 1991 âSubterranean structures on Hirta,
St Kilda, Scotlandâ
Bulletin Subterranea Britannica,
27
, 5â6
Baxter, C. and Crumley, J. 1988
St Kilda. A portrait
of Britiansâ remotest island landscape,
Colin Baxter
Photography, Lanark
Baxter, C. and Quine, D. 2002
St Kilda.
Colin Baxter
Photography, Grantown-on-Spey
Baxter, J.M. 1998 âSpectacular Underwater Secrets
of St Kildaâ
Heritage Scotland,
15(1)
, 22-25.
Beare, T.H. 1908 âNotes on the Coleoptera from St
Kildaâ
Annals of Scottish Natural History,
17
, 30â33
Beare, T.H. 1916 âNotes on Coleoptera from St
Kildaâ
Scottish Naturalist,
258â260
Benzie, D. and Gill, J.C. 1974 âRadiography of the
skeletal and dental condition of the Soay sheepâ
Chapter 12 in Jewell, P.A., Milner, C. and Boyd,
J.M. (eds)
. Island Survivors: The Ecology of the
Soay Sheep of St Kilda
Athlone Press, London
Berry, R.J. 1969 âHistory in the evolution of
Apodemus sylvaticus
(Mammalia) at one end of its
rangeâ
Journal of Zoology,
159
, 311â328
Birnie, G.W.V. 1972 âA census of puffins (
Fratercula
arctica
) on Hirta and Dun (St Kilda), July 1969
unpublished
Birnie, G.W.V. and Yule, R.F. 1969 âA count of
fulmars on Hirtaâ unpublished
Blair, J. 1962 âAt Last â St Kildaâ
Scots Magazine,
Febuary,
377â384
Blankenhorn, V.S. 1979 âFrom the Farthest Hebridesâ
(Review article)
The Scottish Review,
16
, 53â55
Boddington, D. 1959 âSt Kilda, Outer Hebridesâ
Bird
Migration,
1
, 24â25, 72â73
Boddington, D. 1960 âUnusual mortality of young
puffins on St Kilda, 1959â
Scottish Birds
,
1
, 218-220
Boddington, D. and Maclellan, G. 1959 âBirds on St
Kilda 1958-59â unpublished
Boece, Hector 1527
Scotorum Regni Description f
xiiii: part of: Scotorum Historiae Prima Gentis
Origine cum aliarum et rerum et gentium illustratione
non vulgari Paris
(another edition 1574, (f 8))
Bones, M. 1992 âThe Garefowl or Great Auk
Pinguinis impennisâ Hebridean Naturalist
,
11
, 15-24
Boswell, J. 1785
The Journal of a Tour to the
Hebrides
(Oxford University reprint, 1974)
Bourne, W.R.P. and Harris, M.P. 1979 âBirds of the
Hebrides: seabirdsâ
Proceedings of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh
,
77B
, 445-475
Bowen, D. Q., Rose, J., McCabe, A. M. and
Sutherland, D.G. 1986 âCorrelation of Quarternary
Glaciations in England, Ireland, Scotland and
Walesâ
Quarternary Science Reviews,
5
, 299-340
Boyd, J.M. 1952 âSt Kilda in 1952â
Scottish Field,
October, 1952
Boyd, J.M. 1953 âThe sheep population of Hirta
1952â
Scottish Naturalist,
65
, 25â28
Boyd, J.M.1954 âThe St Kilda wren in village area,
Hirta, 1952â
Scottish Naturalist,
66
, 47â49
Boyd, J.M. 1955 âGolden Eagle at St Kildaâ
British
Birds,
48
, 454
Boyd, J.M. 1956 âField mouse population in Village
area, May 1955â
Oikos,
7
, 110â116
Boyd, J.M. 1956 âThe sheep population of Hirta,
St Kilda, 1955â
Scottish Naturalist,
68
, 10â13
Boyd, J.M. 1956 âThe Lumbricidae of Hirta, St Kildaâ
Annual Magazine of Natural History,
9
, 129â133
Boyd, J.M. 1956 âThe Lumbricidae in the Hebrides
2 Geographical Distributionâ
Scottish Naturalist,
68
,
165â172
Boyd, J.M. 1957 âAnimals and humans at St Kildaâ
Discovery,
344â348
Boyd, J.M. 1957 âEcological distribution of the
Lumbricidae in the Hebridesâ
Proceedings of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh,
66B
, 311â338
Boyd, J.M. 1957 âLumbricidae at Boreray, St Kildaâ
Glasgow Naturalist,
17
, 280â281
Boyd, J.M. 1960 âThe distribution and numbers of
kittiwakes and guillemots at St Kildaâ
British Birds,
53,
252â264
Boyd, J.M. 1960 âBirds on Boreray, St Kilda, May
1960â unpublished
76
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Boyd, J.M. 1961 âThe gannetry of St Kildaâ
Journal
of Animal Ecology
,
30
, 117-136
Boyd, J.M. 1969 âAnnotated map of kittiwake and
guillemot coloniesâ unpublished
Boyd, J.M., Doney,I.M., Gunn, R.G. and Jewell, P.A.
1964 âThe Soay sheep of the island of Hirta,
St Kilda. A study of a feral populationâ
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d. Address where inventory,
records and archives are held
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow,
G3 8AG, Scotland, United Kingdom
Principal repository for artefacts and archaeological
finds from St Kilda. Currently holds on loan the
NTS St Kilda collection.
Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye
Former owners, the MacLeods have an interesting
display of St Kilda artefacts amd memorabilia.
Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury
Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1SH, Scotland, United
Kingdom
(historic-scotland.gov.uk)
Holds documentary and photographic records.
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Seabirds
and Cetaceans, Dunnet House, 7 Thistle Place,
Aberdeen, AB10 1UZ, Scotland, United Kingdom
Holds seabird census data and cetacean sightings
records from St Kilda.
Museum nan Eilean, Francis Street, Stornoway,
Western Isles, HS1 2NF, Scotland, United
Kingdom
Repository of artefacts, photographs and
documentary material from St Kilda.
Museum nan Eilean, Sgoil Lionacleit, Benbecula,
Western Isles, HS7 5PJ, Scotland, United
Kingdom
Repository of artefacts, photographs and
documentary material from St Kilda.
National Archives of Scotland, H.M. General
Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY, Scotland,
United Kingdom
(nas.gov.uk)
Holds documentary sources and a limited
photographic record of St Kilda.
National Monuments Record of Scotland, John
Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh,
EH8 9NX, Scotland, United Kingdom
(nmrs@rchams.gov.uk)
Extensive photographic records, plans, elevations
and other drawn materials resulting from recent
surveys. Also archive material from previous
archaeological excavation, and historic archive
photographs. Publicly accessible.
7
97
School of Scottish Studies, University of
Edinburgh, 27 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8
9LD, Scotland, United Kingdom
(Scottish.studies@ed.ac.uk)
Major collection of ethnographic material from St
Kilda, including sound recordings and major
collections of old photographs.
Scottish Natural Heritage, Advisory Services,
Maritime Group, 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh,
EH6 5NP, Scotland, United Kingdom
(snh.org.uk)
Holds marine natural heritage records, underwater
videos and photographs from St Kilda.
Scottish Natural Heritage, Stilligarry, Isle of
South Uist, Western Isles, HS8 5RS, Scotland,
United Kingdom
(snh.org.uk)
Holds natural heritage records and photographs
from St Kilda.
The National Trust for Scotland, Wemyss House,
28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4ET,
Scotland, United Kingdom
(conservation@nts.org.uk)
Documentary records from 1957 and before, plus
archival records and photographs of past
conservation works and condition monitoring
exercises. Includes the St Kilda Club archives, and
those of the Highland Agricultural Society.
University of Aberdeen Library, Queen Mother
Library, Meston Walk, Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen,
AB24 3UE, Scotland, United Kingdom
(library@abdn.ac.uk)
Holds the George Washington Wilson Collection of
late 19th-century photographs of life on St Kilda.
Finlay MacQueen with a puffin he caught and stuffed himself
98
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Signed on behalf of the State Party
Full name:
JACK McCONNELL
Title:
FIRST MINISTER
Date: January 2003
8
99
Acknowledgements
The development of the revised nomination document for the St Kilda World Heritage Site was carried out
by a Steering Group comprising:
⢠Ian Melville (Scottish Executive)
⢠Manson Wright (Scottish Executive)
⢠Robin Turner (The National Trust for Scotland)
⢠Richard Luxmoore (The National Trust for Scotland)
⢠Lorraine Bell (The National Trust for Scotland)
⢠Kevin OâCarroll (Department of Trade and Industry)
⢠Sally Foster (Historic Scotland)
⢠Ken Kennedy (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)
⢠Jim Reid (Joint Nature Conservation Committee)
⢠John Love (Scottish Natural Heritage)
⢠John Baxter (Scottish Natural Heritage).
A large number of other individuals have contributed to the production of the document, including:
Calum Ferguson who wrote âSt Kildaâs language and cultureâ;
Josephine Pemberton who provided data on Soay and Boreray sheep;
Mary MacLean (SNH) who provided the Gaelic translation of The First Ministersâ Introduction;
Past wardens of St Kilda, all of whom have provided valuable biological records, but especially Jim
Vaughan, Stuart Murray and Andy Robinson;
The geology text was written by John Gordon, George Lees and Colin MacFadyen (all SNH) with a
contribution by Fiona MacTaggart. The text was reviewed by Jim Hansom (Glasgow University) and by
various staff at the British Geological Survey, including Howard Johnson, David Stephenson, Alick Leslie,
Ruth Hoult, Joseph Bulat, Rhys Cooper, Heather Stewart, Nicholas Golledge and Sandy Henderson;
Tony Weighell (JNCC) and Christopher Young (English Heritage) who provided guidance to the Steering
Group and contributed to the revised nomination document;
Andy Webb (JNCC) produced the maps of seabird distribution around St Kilda and Claire McSorley
produced the figure depicting common guillemot distribution at the Isle of May;
Ian Mitchell and Tim Dunn (JNCC) provided data on seabird breeding numbers;
The Hydrographic Office, Ministry of Defence, Taunton, Somerset for supplying charts;
David Donnan (SNH) co-ordinated interpretation of the seabed survey data;
Mary Harman;
Bob Foster-Smith (University of Newcastle) drew the diagram of the littoral and sublittoral zonation;
Paul McCormack (DCMS);
Susan Bain, Jill Harden and Julie Duff (NTS);
Astron
Document Services Ltd., with particular thanks to the Graphic Design Team.
100
St
Kilda
Revised Nomination of
for inclusion in the World Heritage Site List
Image Acknowledgements
The following sources of images in the document are gratefully acknowledged. The images are all
copyright of the photographers /organisations. More specific picture credits are contained in the Revised
Nomination Document.
Aerofilms
Alexander Bennet/NTS
Andy Robinson
Archibald Maynard/NTS
Colin Baxter
Ben Buxton
D. Scott/NTS
David Donnan/SNH/JNCC
Davina Graham/Glasgow Museum
G.D. Hay/Crown Copyright
George Washington Wilson/ University of Aberdeen
Glasgow Museums
Highland Council
Isla Robertson/NTS
J. Strachan/NTS
James Fenton/NTS
Jill Harden/NTS
Jim Vaughan/SNH
John Baxter/SNH/JNCC
John Love
Maclean Press
National Museums of Scotland
Neil Ferguson Collection
National Trust for Scotland (NTS)
Paul Johnson/NTS
R.M.R. Milne/NTS
RCAHMS
Richard Luxmoore/NTS
Robert Atkinson/ School of Scottish Studies
Robin Turner/NTS
Rohan Holt/SNH/JNCC
School of Scottish Studies
Sharbau/Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland/Sir John Dyke Acland
Sue Scott/SNH/JNCC
Susan Bain/NTS
Š Crown Copyright 2004
Astron B38477 12/04