Kallin schoolhouse in Grimsay and the adjoining teacher’s residence opened its doors to its first pupils in 1908. It was built to provide education for the families that moved into Kallin when the original rough grazing farm was divided into crofts in 1905. 

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It had to be at least 3 miles distance from the existing school at the western side of Grimsay. Families were large and the school well attended. Children from Baymore, Kallin and Scotvein attended, walking to school and back every day in all weather, usually with a sandwich carried for lunch. 

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In the late fifties a ‘canteen’ was built beside the school and 2 local ladies were employed to do the catering. A coal fire in the school was the only source of heating and this was lit every morning at 8am to have the classroom warm for a 9am start. 

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Many children passed through the school up until its closure in 1988, when the council decided to close many schools in a centralisation procedure.

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It was also a community hub with monthly dances held in the classroom and young people would attend from the surrounding area, many by boat as Grimsay was an island unconnected by causeways at the time. 

 

After its closure as a school, it was used for a time to teach boatbuilding skills and some exhibitions were held there, especially during the time that an annual ‘Boat Day’ was held at Kallin to commemorate the many Grimsay boats built on the island. Fishing was and still is the main occupation of Grimsay residents.