The Blackhouse is a traditional Western Isles dwelling in which a family of crofters and their livestock lived under the same roof. Aside from being a place to eat and sleep, the long, thin building was used as a barn for storage and the processing of grain and other produce. They were built without a chimney and few windows, which is how they may have got their name.

The gully in the floor is designed to allow animal waste to drain away to the outside.