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<< Our Photo Pages >> Barnhouse Settlement - Ancient Village or Settlement in Scotland in Orkney

Submitted by Drewparsons on Thursday, 22 September 2011  Page Views: 17639

Multi-periodSite Name: Barnhouse Settlement
Country: Scotland County: Orkney Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Stromness  Nearest Village: Birsay
Map Ref: HY30761270  Landranger Map Number: 6
Latitude: 58.995783N  Longitude: 3.206768W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
5 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

sharipdx AJohn1958 whese001 would like to visit

drolaf visited on 14th Jun 2022 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3

Catrinm visited on 27th Aug 2019 There is a daily free tour which is worth doing ( thanks Martin !)

Suzipam1 visited on 1st Jan 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 My ancestors made this. It is a powerful statement

bishop_pam visited on 18th Apr 2018 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4

RockHugger visited on 23rd Sep 2016 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 4

SandyG visited on 2nd Jun 2015 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5 Well worth visiting.

Jansold visited on 3rd Jun 2013 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 4

markj99 visited on 7th Aug 2012 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Barnhouse Settlement is the closest habitation to the Stones of Stenness marking it as an important site. The site is easy to visit from Stenness. It presents reconstructed floorplans of multiple buildings in the settlement making it easier to imagine how the original may have looked.

megalithicmatt visited on 1st Jun 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 4 Rebuilt and made all spick-and-span...

jeffrep visited on 15th Aug 2007 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4

Richard13 visited on 1st Jul 1999 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4

43559959 visited on 27th Nov 0201 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 5

Runemage visited - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 I visited in 2005 so this log’s from memory, it was a superb location. I’ve not seen structures built so close to a loch. Imagine stepping outside first thing in the morning, a few steps and you could have a quick dip and catch your breakfast simultaneously. The Standing Stones of Stenness are only a short walk away and easily visible from Barnhouse, so it leads the imagination to wonder what went on between the two sites. Did the people who lived at Barnhouse build the circle or use it? Present day (2011) excavations at the nearby Ness of Brodgar are unearthing buildings which seem to be constructed in a very similar way to some of the ones at Barnhouse. I don’t know of any other area that has a stone circle with contemporary dwellings so close by. Here we have two within easy walking distance of each other, the Ring of Brodgar with the Ness settlement then cross the causeway which has its own megaliths, the finest being the Watchstone, to find Stenness with the Barnhouse settlement. Maes Howe is also visible from Stenness, I didn’t check from Barnhouse but it’s likely. All of these sites are so close to each other and I think contemporary, it’s hard not to let the imagination run riot and wonder how the population socialised. Was it harmonious or human nature being what it is, were the Ness and Barnhouse residents in competition with each other. Did the entire population live in these structures or were they only for one section of the community and the others lived in temporary dwellings? Some of the features in the houses are delineated by different coloured gravels, wooden posts etc. to give a very clear visual of what was where and what it was used for. One has a trapezoidal stone where you couldn’t help but walk over it. I can’t remember what was found under it but think there was one instance of a burial in a doorway, very liminal, threshold and all that, but not so nice for us to think of granny under the doormat! This area is literally the Neolithic Heart of Orkney, not only does it have so many monuments in such a small area, it has a tantalising link to the people that lived and worked there.

PAB rrmoser AngieLake DrewParsons TimPrevett NickyD Redfun have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.42 Ambience: 4.33 Access: 4.09

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by steveco : Barnhouse Settlement HY306127. Probably in use around the same time of Skara Brae. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Ancient Settlement in Orkney, probably in use around the same time of Skara Brae. The discovery of this site led to the reinterpretation of the local area's history as being more than tombs and ceremonial sites. Geophysics surveys show that there are more buildings between the present site and Masehowe.

One of the main features discovered so far is known as Structure 8 and seems to be a ceremonial area with access controlled through an apparently symbolic fireplace at the entrance. It is the large circle area and dominates the site. House two is constructed of more solid and better shaped stonework compared to the other houses, similar to that found in some local tombs.

Part of the Barnhouse site has been reconstructed to give its present look, the original walls sometimes below the reconstructed ones to preserve them and also to give an impression of what the settlement would have looked like originally. It is a short walk behing the Stones of Stenness and well worth a visit.

Note: New finds in ‘cathedral’ building reignite question – Stone Age dresser or altar? See latest comment
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Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by stewart : Grid Ref HY 307127 This Neolithic settlement is contemporary with Maes Howe, Stennes and Brodgar and may well have been home to the people who built the monuments. One of the houses is of a type I've not come across before in that it is more or less symmetrical about the entrance, sort of a semi-detached or duplex. However, the symmetry is not exact as one of the dwellings is bigger than th... (Vote or comment on this photo)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by PAB : Barnhouse settlement. June 2016 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by SandyG : Structure 8. View from north. (2nd June 2015). (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by howar : Structure 8 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by SandyG : Barnhouse settlement and the Stones of Stenness. (2nd June 2015). (1 comment)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by howar : Barnhouse Neolithic Settlement looking southwards

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by Runemage : The walling techniques wouldn't look out of place today.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : One of the houses excavated at the site. September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by SandyG : Settlement and Stones of Stenness. (2nd June 2015). (2 comments)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by Energyman : House 3. A moveable 3D view can be found at https://skfb.ly/ouG86 and in Comments below

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by SandyG : House 2 interior. View from south. (2nd June 2015).

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by SandyG : House 2 with structure 8 behind. View from north. (2nd June 2015). (2 comments)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by howar : House 3 in early December

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by 43559959 : Barnhouse Settlement next to Loch of Harry

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by howar : House 2 with exterior walls

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by howar : House 2 and Structure 8 (1 comment)

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by megalithicmatt : One of the houses in the settlement.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by Runemage : Structure by the loch

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : One of the houses. September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : House 2 which is constructed with better quality masonry similar to the tombs nearby when compared to the other houses. September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : A house with the Loch of Harray behind it. September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by DrewParsons : A view of the entranceway at Structure 8, the apparent ceremonial area in front of the settlement. September 2010.

Barnhouse Settlement
Barnhouse Settlement submitted by jeffrep : Barnhouse Settlement House 3 on the Shore of Loch Harray, Orkney Mainland, Scotland.

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 201m SSW 205° Stenness* Stone Circle (HY30671252)
 218m WSW 253° Watch Stone (Orkney)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (HY30551264)
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 734m SE 135° Barnhouse Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (HY31271217)
 1.1km E 85° Maes Howe* Chambered Cairn (HY31821277)
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 2.1km WNW 300° Wasbister Burnt Mound* Artificial Mound (HY28961378)
 2.1km WNW 297° Wasbister Disc Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (HY289137)
 2.1km WNW 297° Dyke o'Sean* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY289137)
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"Barnhouse Settlement" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: Barnhouse Settlement by Energyman on Tuesday, 24 May 2022
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A 3D moveable view of House 3 can be found at: https://skfb.ly/ouG86
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Barnhouse Settlement by Andy B on Sunday, 25 February 2018
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Settlement duration and materiality: formal chronological models for the development of Barnhouse, a Grooved Ware settlement in Orkney

Richards, Colin, Jones, Andrew Meirion, MacSween, Ann, Sheridan, Alison, Dunbar, Elaine, Reimer, Paula, Bayliss, Alex, Griffiths, Seren and Whittle, Alasdair 2016. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 82 , pp. 193-225. 10.1017/ppr.2016.6
https://doi.org/10.1017/ppr.2016.6

Radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modelling, undertaken as part of the investigation by the Times of Their Lives project into the development of Late Neolithic settlement and pottery in Orkney, has provided precise new dating for the Grooved Ware settlement of Barnhouse, excavated in 1985–91. Previous understandings of the site and its pottery are presented.

A Bayesian model based on 70 measurements on 62 samples (of which 50 samples are thought to date accurately the deposits from which they were recovered) suggests that the settlement probably began in the later 32nd century cal bc (with Houses 2, 9, 3 and perhaps 5a), possibly as a planned foundation. Structure 8 – a large, monumental structure that differs in character from the houses – was probably built just after the turn of the millennium. Varied house durations and replacements are estimated. House 2 went out of use before the end of the settlement, and Structure 8 was probably the last element to be abandoned, probably during the earlier 29th century cal bc.

The Grooved Ware pottery from the site is characterised by small, medium-sized, and large vessels with incised and impressed decoration, including a distinctive, false-relief, wavy-line cordon motif. A considerable degree of consistency is apparent in many aspects of ceramic design and manufacture over the use-life of the settlement, the principal change being the appearance, from c. 3025–2975 cal bc, of large coarse ware vessels with uneven surfaces and thick applied cordons, and of the use of applied dimpled circular pellets.

The circumstances of new foundation of settlement in the western part of Mainland are discussed, as well as the maintenance and character of the site. The pottery from the site is among the earliest Grooved Ware so far dated. Its wider connections are noted, as well as the significant implications for our understanding of the timing and circumstances of the emergence of Grooved Ware, and the role of material culture in social strategies.

http://orca.cf.ac.uk/90932/

http://orca.cf.ac.uk/90932/2/Barnhouse%20paper%20v23%20FINAL%20RESUBMISSION.pdf
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New finds in ‘cathedral’ building reignite question – Stone Age dresser or altar? by davidmorgan on Thursday, 22 September 2011
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Orkney’s history features a number of striking symbols — items that most folk could identify immediately: the Maeshowe dragon, the Scar plaque and, probably, the large stone ‘dressers’ in Skara Brae.

The powerful imagery surrounding the latter remains today, so much so that it features heavily in the decoration of the Skara Brae visitor centre and guidebook – not bad for a prehistoric kitchen cupboard.

But over the years, the significance, and role, of these so-called ‘dressers’ has been questioned.

They were built to the same design and placed in the same position in certain structures – directly opposite the entrance. Were they more than mere domestic storage?

The idea that there was more to the dresser was brought to the fore following the discovery of the Barnhouse Settlement in 1984.

Among the ‘normal’ houses on site was a massive later building, which was christened Structure Eight.

This building was constructed around 2600BC, after the village had been abandoned. It was a massive hall-like structure, seven metres square, with incredibly thick outer walls. It was also built on a platform of yellow clay, a feature paralleling Maeshowe, nearby.

Structure Eight’s clay platform was then surrounded by an enclosing circular wall, creating an internal courtyard over 20 metres across.

The complex’s spatial layout closely resembles that of the Standing Stones of Stenness, and it was immediately clear that this was no domestic residence. But inside, was a stone dresser.

But why build a storage unit for domestic utensils, when archaeological excavations have shown that Structure Eight’s central fire was not used for the preparation of food?

All cooking relating to whatever was happening inside Structure Eight was carried out in the courtyard between the inner and outer walls.

So, it seemed that the dresser in Structure Eight was more than a mere item of furniture — an altar perhaps?

The idea has parallels throughout history and other cultures. For example, the traditional ‘ger’ – or ‘yurt’ as it’s more commonly known – of the Mongolian nomads has featured, for 3,000 years now, an altar directly facing the entrance.
In addition, the interior organisation of a ger follows an identical pattern – the door faces the south, the men’s place is in the west part, and the north side is the place for honoured guests, or old people, as well as the place for the family altar. The east side is the women’s territory, and the stove occupies the centre.

Fast forward to the early 21st century and the discovery of the Stone Age complex on the Ness of Brodgar – in particular, Structure Ten – the massive Neolithic ‘cathedral’.

Measuring 25 metres long by 20 metres wide, the outer walls remain to a height of approximately one metre.

Its sheer size – with its five-metre-thick walls, and containing a cruciform central chamber – and the fact that it combined elements of both the chambered tombs and the domestic houses, led the archaeologist to believe this also was not a domestic structure.

Then, last year, in the inner chamber – which is a slightly larger ‘copy’ of Maeshowe’s – a dresser turned up. But where these are usually found built against the walls, as at Skara Brae, for example, in Structure Ten it was free-standing, and incorporated slabs of striking red and yellow sandstone — stone that had been brought to the site and presumably for that specific reason.

That discovery was enough to reignite the debate about dressers and whether it would be more correct to refer to them, in some contexts at least, as altars.

And this summer, Structure Ten surprised the diggers yet again. Inside the relatively small inner chamber there is not just one dresser – but possibly four.

Nick Card explained: “When we first uncovered Structure Ten we thought it might be a single

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Re: Barnhouse Settlement by DrewParsons on Friday, 15 October 2010
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The discovery of this site led to the reinterpretation of the local area's history as being more than tombs and ceremonial sites. Geophysics surveys show that there are more buildings between the present site and Masehowe. The main feature so far discovered is known as Structure 8 and seems to be a ceremonial area with access controlled through an apparently symbolic fireplace at the entrance. It is the large circle area and dominates the site. House two is constructed of more solid and better shaped stonework compared to the other houses, similar to that found in some local tombs. Part of the Barnhouse site has been reconstructed to give its present look, the original walls sometimes below the reconstructed ones to preserve them and also to give an impression of what the settlement would have looked like originally. It is a short walk behing the Stones of Stenness and well worth a visit. I have updated the condition, ambience, access and accuracy indicators too after my visit in September 2010.
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Re: Barnhouse Settlement,Orkney video, July 2009 by tyrianterror on Saturday, 17 July 2010
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Re: Barnhouse Settlement by morphoto on Friday, 03 April 2009
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Condition: 2
Ambiance: 4
Access: 4
Accuracy: 0

Located adjacent to the Standing Stones of Stenness - back behind it. This has been archeologically dug and partially rebuild. There is a sign with description of the site and the work that has been done there.
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