Scarp, Harris

Scarp, Harris

ID: QZP99_94130_09_12 DESCRIPTION: Thatched houses on the island of Scarp, off the west coast of Harris, opposite Huisinis. The island is separated from Harris by the Sound of Scarp. In around 1810 the land was divided into eight crofts and later into sixteen. As the land plots became smaller the people depended increasingly on the sea. The 1881 census reports approximately 200 people on the island but population fell throughout the 20th century. The school closed in 1967 and the Post Office in 1969. The last two families left in 1971, a year after the government had built new slipways on the island and at Huisinis. The strong currents in the Sound of Scarp meant that it was often impassable. A German rocket scientist, Gerhard Zucher, wanted to prove that rockets could be used to supply rural communities. In 1934 he set up an attempt to deliver mail to the island of Scarp using a solid fuel rocket. The rocket exploded over the beach and the mail was damaged. It was gathered up and delivered normally. A later experiment was a success but interest in the project had fallen and Zucher returned to Germany This image comes from a collection gifted to Edinburgh Central Library by Dr Isabel F. Grant. The collection includes photographs taken by a number of different photographers. PLACENAME: Scarp DISTRICT: Harris OLD COUNTY/PARISH: INVERNESS: Harris SOURCE: Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh Central Library COLLECTION: I F Grant Photographic Archive Asset ID: 38720 KEYWORDS: