Introduction
Life in the early days was hard in the Falkland Islands. Life on the outer islands was even harder with even more isolation than those on East and West Falkland experienced and for some of the more remote islands the inhabitants would go months without seeing other people. The mail service could be sporadic and the cost of getting their produce to the market expensive. The seas were rough and the coastlines hazardous and many of the islands have the remains of shipwrecks still visible. With Stanley Cemetery being a long, risky sea voyage in small cutters many of the outlying islands have their own cemeteries.
The majority of buildings in the Falkland Islands are now constructed of wood. In the early days quite a number of buildings were constructed from local stone and although there are a number of stone buildings still around the Islands it is not a popular building material as the local grey stone is very dense and difficult to dress while the sandstone, or Fox Bay stone as it is known locally, is only suitable for cladding and paving. With the remoteness of some of the outer islands and the cost and logistics of shipping building materials to them it was not uncommon in the early days for buildings and fences to be constructed from wood salvaged from nearby wrecks and from driftwood washed ashore.
These files are not a complete representation of Island settlements in the Falkland Islands and are not necessarily a complete history but are intended to give an idea of some of the more well-known and may be added to from time to time.
Beaver Island Governor Island Staats Island and Green Island.pdf(457.89 KB)
Bleaker or Long or Breaker Island.pdf1.65 MB
Carcass Island Dunbar Island Low Island and the Twins.pdf689.61 KB
Jason Islands.pdf1.06 MB
New Island Saddle Island Coffin Island Tigre Harbour.pdf(1 MB)
Passage Islands.pdf638.18 KB
Saunders Island.pdf317.19 KB
Sea Lion Island.pdf2.03 MB
Speedwell or Eagle Island George Island and Barren Island.pdf829.57 KB
Weddell or Swan Island.pdf1.46 MB
West Point or Albatross Island or Clifton Station.pdf(774.74 KB)
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