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St Kilda is not the name of an island but of an Archipelago, it is part of the parish of Harris in the Western Isles it consists of four main islands - Hirta, Soay, Boreray and Dun; 3 sea stacs - Stac an Armin, Stac Lee and Levenish. It lyes 64km west of the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland.
People lived on the islands for centuries but they were facing difficult times from the end of the 19th century, with decline in the population and the conditions of living were more of a struggle. Hirta was evacuated on 29th August 1930, on the request and expenses of the inhabitants, only 36 people lived on the islands.
Owned by MacLeod of Harris & Dunvegan until 1931, St Kilda was sold to the Earl of Dumfries who later became the 5th Marquess of Bute. He retained the islands, unoccupied and managed as a bird sanctuary, until his death in 1956 and in 1957 the islands came into the care of The National Trust for Scotland. From 1958 onwards, NTS volunteer work parties 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. Today around 1750 people visit St Kilda every year.
St Kilda is managed by The National Trust for Scotland in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, Historic Scotland, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), Ministry of Defence and its agents QinetiQ.
text taken from www.kilda.org.uk
For more information please visit www.kilda.org.uk
For a great gallery of color pictures : www.oiseval.co.uk
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