Main Street on the island of Hirta, in the St.

Kilda Archipelago. Often referred to as St. Kilda this was the only island of the archipelago that was occupied continuously since prehistoric times.
Scattered around the area of Village Bay are the Cleats or "cleitean", seen here behind the houses. Cleats are dome-shaped structures which are constructed of flat boulders capped with turf. This construction allows the wind to pass through the cavities in the wall while keeping the rain out. Cleats were used by the St. Kildans. They had a multitude of uses including, storing peat, preserved sea birds, eggs, hay, nets, corn and manure. They also acted as shelter for the lambs in winter.
The date of origin of the Cleat is unknown, they were though in continuous use from prehistoric times until the evacuation of St Kilda in 1930. File 6386