A property at Stenness has been acquired on behalf of the people of Orkney by an anonymous benefactor. The house and land at Lochview sits beside the main trench of the internationally important Neolithic complex at the Ness of Brodgar.
This acquisition will help protect the future of the excavations run by the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), based at Orkney College UHI.
Excavations. Image: James Morrison, Flickr
Earlier this year when it was clear that the house was about to be put on the market, an anonymous benefactor with a strong interest in the archaeological excavations at the Ness of Brodgar realised that it was a unique opportunity to secure the future exploration of the site.
The Neolithic buildings that are being excavated are thought to run beneath the house and extend across much of the garden which covers nearly an acre.
Orkney Heritage Society was approached to see if it would be prepared to accept the gift of the property and to manage it for the future on behalf of the local community. The sale of the house has now been completed and the property is in the ownership of the Society.
Leslie Burgher, Chairman of Orkney Heritage Society commented, “This is an extraordinarily generous donation to the people of Orkney and we are pleased to have been asked to look after it on their behalf.”
Excavations. Image: ORCA
The concentration of monuments in the area points to the importance of the site to the Neolithic people of Orkney.
The concentration of monuments in the area points to the importance of the site to the Neolithic people of Orkney.
The Ring of Brodgar and Stones of Stenness form part of Orkney’s World Heritage Site – christened the Heart of Neolithic Orkney – which also includes Skara Brae, the Maeshowe chambered tomb, the Watch Stone and the Barnhouse Stone.
The monuments, dating from 3200 to 2300 BC are regarded as outstanding examples of the achievements of the Neolithic people of northern Europe, and the continued excavations provide a growing understanding of this crucial point in time.
Stenness Watchstone and house behind. Image: martyn jenkins, Flickr
Excavation Director Nick Card told Past Horizons that, “This is an amazing gift to the people of Orkney to the archaeology of Orkney and to to the thousands of visitors to the site from across the world. This will ensure the preservation of the Ness that is becoming recognised internationally as a unique site, and also will hopefully help to attract further support”.
In 2008, the archaeologists unearthed a massive drystone building – dubbed a Neolithic cathedral – of a kind never before seen in Britain, measuring 25m by 20m with 5m thick walls, the building stands between the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness. The team even found proof that paint was used to decorate the buildings.
This generous donation will allow other remarkable discoveries to be made in the years to come.
More information:
- The Ness of Brodgar Excavations
- Heart of Neolithic Orkney (WHS)
- Orkneyjar: Orkney Archaeology News
- ORCA – Orkney research Centre for Archaeology