<< Our Photo Pages >> Saverock (2) - Ancient Village or Settlement in Scotland in Orkney

Submitted by howar on Wednesday, 12 April 2006  Page Views: 5815

Multi-periodSite Name: Saverock (2) Alternative Name: Hatston Airfield, Burn of Hatston
Country: Scotland County: Orkney Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Kirkwall
Map Ref: HY43481280
Latitude: 58.998554N  Longitude: 2.985461W
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.
 3 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
 4

Internal Links:
External Links:

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : Mound seen from downslope. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Ancient Village or Settlement in Orkney

RCAHMS NMRS record no. HY41SW 6 burnt mound: Coming along the Grainshore Road and turn off for Hatston pier and near the junction look out for the 6' high mound on your left, betwen the side road and the straightened burn. Naturally enough this patch of land is often rather damp - it is possible to make out where the waters formerly skirted the mound if you look down from the top.
At the uphill side of the mound there is an upright stone projecting through a few inches. But removing the vegetation reveals a conglomerate rock. And though on the one hand I have seen a few samples of apparently natural conglomerate (?puddlestone) in Orkney this whole area was used during WWII and there is a large flat slab of this material by the burn. However I feel sure the 1996 site visit would not have mentioned how unchanged the area was if this had been present. The OS visitor describes a narrow trench across the mound showing the usual burnt material, but this broadens out at the top. Either this latter comes from the original unrecorded excavation or has arisen from a later investigation, perhaps at the same time as the Picky mound was looked at. It is only lately that I have seen exposed material myself, either I was very unobservant before or the grass had grown over it since 1996.
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : excavation scar/s from partway up roadward end - tape out to 1m (Vote or comment on this photo)

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : sides of excavation scar/s (top) in view from western side (Vote or comment on this photo)

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : small 'slabs' or pillar tops ? the slick black stones at RH & LH of image edge where tape is to 1m - is this really a burnt mound or are the stones overlay i.e. burnt stones or stones burnt later (Vote or comment on this photo)

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : Exposed fragments ~3-4" across. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : Gravel sized burnt material exposed. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Saverock (2)
Saverock (2) submitted by howar : From upslope excavation areas visible.

Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.
Click here to see more info for this site

Nearby sites

Click here to view sites on an interactive OS map

Key: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed

Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)

To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.


Turn off the page maps and other distractions

Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 202m N 8° Lower Saverock* Not Known (by us) (HY43511300)
 1.3km SE 146° Grain Earth House* Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (HY442117)
 1.5km NW 313° Ramberry Cairn Chambered Cairn (HY42401383)
 1.7km WSW 245° Wideford Hill Cairn* Cairn (HY419121)
 1.7km SSE 159° Pickaquoy* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY44071116)
 1.8km W 272° Quanterness* Chambered Cairn (HY417129)
 2.2km WSW 242° Heathfield Chambered Cairn (HY415118)
 2.3km SE 137° Kirkwall Sculptured Stone (HY450111)
 2.4km SE 144° Tankerness House Museum* Museum (HY44851086)
 2.4km SE 146° The Orkney Museum* Museum (HY448108)
 2.4km SE 142° Kirkwall Sculptured Stone (HY44941087)
 2.7km WSW 254° Wideford Hill* Chambered Cairn (HY40901211)
 3.4km WSW 239° Smerquoy ancient settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY40501109)
 3.6km S 182° Nevada Cott* Artificial Mound (HY433092)
 3.7km W 266° Rennibister Souterrain* Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (HY39731260)
 3.8km S 171° Crantit* Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (HY440090)
 4.0km SSE 161° Scapa* Barrow Cemetery (HY447090)
 4.0km S 179° Broch of Lingro* Broch or Nuraghe (HY435088)
 4.2km S 182° Lingrow* Chambered Tomb (HY43240863)
 4.4km SSE 163° Hillhead* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY44720855)
 4.5km W 269° Ingshowe* Broch or Nuraghe (HY390128)
 4.5km WSW 256° Nabban* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (HY391118)
 4.7km SE 133° Tower Hill (Orkney)* Round Barrow(s) (HY469095)
 4.7km W 281° Site C Circular Feature from the Rising Tide project Standing Stones (HY3882313776)
 4.7km NE 43° Twi Ness* Cairn (HY46761625)
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< Dolmen des Camps

Sincombe Farm Bowl Barrow >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Contribute!

· NEW: I have visited
· I would like to visit
· Submit an Image
· Add a description
· Give accurate position
· Add a comment or news about this site

The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone - Sally Beamish

The Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone - Sally Beamish

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Saverock (2)" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re: Saverock (2) by Anonymous on Wednesday, 16 May 2012
The burnt mound is on the LH side of the road onto the new Hatston pier amongst the new industrial development. Unfortunately it is now fully enclosed by a fence with not even a gate for access. An opportunity for excavation missed.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Saverock (2) by howar on Monday, 24 November 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
In the 1860's several cists of stone were 'destroyed' in a field belonging to Saverock. These have been associated with the modern Saverock, perhaps the lost mound HY41SW 7, but could these have been from the Saverock Burnt Mound like with Howe Harcus (Mussaquoy) ? In 1882 farmer Mr Fergus found a white stone axe, 5 5/8 ins long by 2 1/4 ins broad and 1 5/8 ins thick, sticking half out the ground in the same field. A few feet away was a perforated granite hammerhead. Local antiquarians later found nearby a polished granite axe butt, several rough stone hammers and a stone mortar, along with flint chips and ornamented potsherds - the Hunterian Museum has from here an arrowhead and seven scrapers, a couple of rubbing stones [one possibly a polisher], an ornamental vessel and two potsherds.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Saverock (2) by MolsonFerg on Saturday, 24 September 2011
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    "howar"...what more might you be able to tell me about farmer Fergus...I plan on visiting Saverock next spring...my great grandfather was born there...cheers...
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Saverock (2) by howar on Monday, 10 November 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
This last week I have taken new digital images used my SLR (slide film not used up yet) and a mini-DV camcorder to record various features in this area [including a ?land-drain which ends partway down the cliff with six foot depth of narrow drystone wall forming its top]. Coincidentally it has been announced today that the land between Hatston pier [read Lower Saverock] and the main road is being taken into development. To do this they have also bought "a field on the Finstown side". Presumably not disturbing archaeology ?
The conglomerate/puddlestone on the burnt mound's uphill side is becoming buried, probably by the same over-vigorous machining that has further eroded the top. More of the small stones, mostly burnt [though some slightly larger pieces may have been shiny once], are showing now. But more interestingly the polished tops of possibly square stones are presently coming level with the surface, and these seem to have some kind of order to them. I managed to get my fingers two or three inches down the side of one without finding a base, though it is too early to be talking of pillars yet. On the top at the Finstown side I's sure there is some kind of ridge - evidence for a wall beneath or simply a by-product of early digs. I am reminded a little of the Hawell burnt mound.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Saverock (2) by howar on Monday, 24 July 2006
(User Info | Send a Message)
The field has passed into active cultivation. The tractor has gone a little up the side of the mound, exposing more surface material but nothing significantly different. However, this is how erosion starts. The upright stone at the edge facing the main road seems to have gone, it may have been World War stuff but I still hope it is merely hidden by summer vegetation.
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.