This derelict constructing on the western shores of Rathlin Island was as soon as a part of the neighborhood’s major supply of commerce: kelp. A big seaweed that thrives in shallow, nutrient-rich coastal waters, kelp varies in coloration, texture, and vitamins world wide, and has lengthy been harvested to be used in meals, medication, and even magnificence merchandise.
The Kelp Home was constructed within the mid-18th century by the Gage household, who bought the island in 1746 when Reverend John Gage purchased it from Lord Antrim for £1,750. The Gages lived on Rathlin for greater than two centuries and formed a lot of its financial system and panorama.
Right here, kelp reduce at low tide was dried within the solar, burned in shoreline kilns, and diminished right into a molten mass. As soon as cooled and damaged up, it was saved and weighed on this constructing earlier than being shipped to Eire and Scotland. Tenants who harvested the seaweed had been paid for what they delivered, or had its worth deducted instantly from their lease to the Gages.
The final kelp handed by way of this retailer within the Twenties, as cheaper strategies of chemical extraction made the trade out of date. Nonetheless, the stone construction has survived the years and even discovered new life as a backdrop for movie, theater, and dance, maintaining a small piece of Rathlin’s seaweed heritage alive.
