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

Submitted by howar on Friday, 29 April 2005  Page Views: 5365

Multi-periodSite Name: Hillhead Alternative Name: Hillhead House
Country: Scotland County: Orkney Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Kirkwall
Map Ref: HY44720855
Latitude: 58.960555N  Longitude: 2.962817W
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.
4 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.
2 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

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Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : looking up at enclosure (Vote or comment on this photo)
Ancient Village or Settlement in Orkney

The main feature in the two fields below Hillhead House is the enclosure HY50NW 6 (at HY44720855). But under Hillhead I would place also HY50NW 12 (at HY44730866) and HY50NW 13 (at about HY4408). These between them have produced four out of Orkney's total of fifteen carved stone balls, the same number as from Skara Brae. The enclosure had one of sandstone (formerly in NMAS collection as HH417 ) and another was found a yard down and two yards away from a former well/spring during drainage (Hunterian Museum B.1914.357). Of the last two one resides at the Hunterian Museum (B.1914.356) but the what happened to the other, carved of diorite from Hillswick in Shetland, isn't known. They are designated Hillhhead House but have the alternative name of Hillhead of Crantit (HY45090927) above Highland Park Distillery which is a different place, much nearer town (though a large depression to one side at HY45090924 was depicted as an earthwork and a 'quarry' to the other HY45720933, and there is a curious rectangular feature in the 'field' over the road). If these balls are truly associated with this site that would put it back at least as far as the Bronze Age. On the other hand, on the basis of the little I know presently, an archaeologist friend is inclined to put it much later and relates it to pre-broch Clickhimin or possibly The Howe 3/4 (or, even worse, amorphous post-broch).
In 1882 a large circular mound was to thought render the area useless for farming owing to the stones, but technology has twice made incursion possible. In 1946 it is down as a fort bisected by the drystane wall coming down from alongside the road to the house. This was roughly 75 yards by 55, aligned North/South with a single earthen rampart but no apparent evidence for an entrance as most features had been levelled. Mostly it lies in the Well Park field, the present well being assumed to be on the site of the destroyed well/spring. When the O.S. came by in 1964 they described it as an enclosure in the process of being ploughed out, though they did report a smaller earthbank within the rampart. This came to mind when I heard that geophyics had indicated a 70m diameter double-ring near the Viking sites in Orphir.
My first observations were made from way over on the road to Orphir as I could find it easier on the map from there - once found you never lose it all the way around to Scapa beach and New Scapa Road below. The Well Park section then stands out because of the numerous banks and dark areas of exposed soil. Over the wall looks blank. But one day the light struck just right, illuminating the whole of the enclosure and showing the rampart both sides. The field directly below the house looks pristine, the best place to start looking for evidence of the site's true nature as the Well Park field looks a mess. To my eye it looks as if first came the enclosure, then some feature was constructed on/through the Well Park edge and from that time or later linear features appear to the Kirkwall side of this.
To find the site take the Southern Isles road until you pass the Tradespark junction and you will see the grounds of Hillhead house at the top of the rise to the right, overlooking Scapa beach. From here you can see all the way into Kirkwall and right up Scapa Flow too. Even so the the lack of a full circle of view from the enclosure is a reason not to see this as a fort or broch (Borrowstonehill screams out to be one etymologically at least). There are two fields you could enter to reach that of Well Park. I chose the first one possible, which does have the drawback of crossing a wide burn (the Crantit I presume). From here I could see two monstrosities side by side, a tin roofed hut and a big concrete plug, one of which must be the 'new' well. Until I am fully equipped I shall not enter the field itself.
Retracing your steps, from the corner of the grounds where the road is continue anothe thirty-odd meters and on your left a slim slab projecting from the drystane wall is a stile. This is for access to a well (HY44970848) that appears on the 1882 map but not the present one. Looking over you see a wide white slab extending from wallbase level (the slab is 0.9m across, though another stone may take this 'lintel' to 1.2m) and 0.8m below that a funnel shape [passage?] 0.6m across going forward at the field's ground level to peter out after 1.5m. I snuck myself into the space beween drystane wall and barbwire fence. The funnel shape is wall-lined (includind a few slabs) and might have gone lower once. It proved a tight squeeze to shuffle along enough to get it all in frame, the camera's batteries went before I bent over far enough to take the whole of the interior. Leant over far enough with the barbwire's support to see a back wall. Looked more like a chamber than a well. Brown stones and I thought there was a curve, but not sure of my orientation at the time in order to say where in the structure (though the word apse came to mind). There was a place lower down the hill I could have gone under the fence but the only other apparent way in, a simpler way, is from the far corner going all way around the field.
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Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : topside Wellpark well including possible notched slab from cist (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : E half view downhill, banks/ditches (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : E half looking downhill (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : well and 'passage' (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : well 'lintel' and 'passage' (Vote or comment on this photo)

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : Stile and well

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : across the enclosure, showing height of downhill bank

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : enclosure looking to Hillhead House

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : Hillhead

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : Well Park and location of well

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : area of Hillhead site

Hillhead
Hillhead submitted by howar : main area of site, Well Park

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 450m N 357° Scapa* Barrow Cemetery (HY447090)
 847m WNW 301° Crantit* Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (HY440090)
 1.2km W 281° Broch of Lingro* Broch or Nuraghe (HY435088)
 1.5km W 272° Lingrow* Chambered Tomb (HY43240863)
 1.6km WNW 294° Nevada Cott* Artificial Mound (HY433092)
 2.2km N 1° The Orkney Museum* Museum (HY448108)
 2.3km N 2° Tankerness House Museum* Museum (HY44851086)
 2.3km N 5° Kirkwall Sculptured Stone (HY44941087)
 2.4km ENE 66° Tower Hill (Orkney)* Round Barrow(s) (HY469095)
 2.6km N 5° Kirkwall Sculptured Stone (HY450111)
 2.6km E 90° Grimsquoy* Round Barrow(s) (HY473085)
 2.7km NNW 345° Pickaquoy* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY44071116)
 2.9km S 170° Burn of Deepdale* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY452057)
 3.1km ENE 62° Berstane Broch* Broch or Nuraghe (HY475100)
 3.2km N 350° Grain Earth House* Souterrain (Fogou, Earth House) (HY442117)
 3.4km SSE 158° The Five Hillocks* Barrow Cemetery (HY45980536)
 3.7km SE 125° Heathery Howes* Round Barrow(s) (HY477064)
 3.9km SSE 163° Mark Stone of Gaitnip* Standing Stone (Menhir) (HY458048)
 3.9km ESE 113° Staneloof* Cairn (HY48330698)
 4.4km NNW 343° Saverock (2)* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY43481280)
 4.5km NW 321° Wideford Hill Cairn* Cairn (HY419121)
 4.6km NW 314° Heathfield Chambered Cairn (HY415118)
 4.6km NNW 344° Lower Saverock* Not Known (by us) (HY43511300)
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 4.9km WNW 300° Smerquoy ancient settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (HY40501109)
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"Hillhead" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Re: Hillhead by howar on Friday, 30 January 2009
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Researching military cropmarks on the lands along from Hillhead of Crantit it turns out that a perforated macehead was found at Musterquoy {http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/foxweb/huntsearch/DetailedResults.fwx?collection=all&SearchTerm=B.1914.643&mdaCode=GLAHM&reqMethod=Link&browseMode=on}. Which could well mean that one of the stone balls did indeed come from this other Hillhead..
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Re: Hillhead by howar on Wednesday, 15 October 2008
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In Mesolithic times the Meadow of Scapa below was a freshwater lochan. A 1986 newspaper article mentions a microlith found half-a-century before whilst digging at the Highland Park Distillery (which is close to the other Hillhead). Maybe new housing on the damp brae below will reveal more ??
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Re: Hillhead by howar on Friday, 12 May 2006
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Go out of town on the South Isles road past the Highland Park distillery and before reaching the Tradespark junction enter the field on the downhill side of the road opposite. Cut diagonally across this to the gap at the corner behind Hillhead (of Scapa) House.
Striking off right downhill on another diagonal takes you to the site of the long-gone well in front of whose vanished place a decorated stone ball was found almost as long ago. You have to wonder what yet remained to mark it out - was it demolished ruins or simply (like Crossiecrown) filled in with rubble ? Could it be that the 'new' well of 20th century vintage does occupy the self-same site hidden from view. Unfortunately this has an airtight seal at the top of the circular concrete 'plug', overlying a symmetric well of drystane walling the same diameter. In the same hollow the hut has been removed to expose the concrete foundation below (hopefully nothing destructive is intended for this place). Connecting this and the well are flags that go under the former hut's foundation. About the modern constructions lie many stones of older times, but are they from here or brought in from elsewhere. One I am struck by is a dark slab with a rectangular section out of one corner that reminds me of a re-usable form of cist. I would dearly have the ball to have a proper context but this might be stretching matters. The exposed section of hollow above the modern stuff seems curiously empty (like bared parts of the enclosure), only a few protruding stones with an earthfast boulder at the back of curious colouration.
Looking across the hill with your back to Kirkwall you can see the nearby enclosure, once considered a fort by those who saw it a little better than we. Standing a little above the well hollow provides the best view of the Hillhead site's profile, better detail at least than that of the half below the house. Is one looking at two banks and a ditch or a bank and two ditches, no-one is totally convincing and if any excavation was done it was way back and very slight. Going over it you fell that the earthworks have discontinuities, let us say. Definitely in need of a detailed contour map rather than gauging by eye. Near the drystane wall you are conscious of a wide flattened section on either side that goes downhill without seeming to break the enclosure otherwise. One assumes that this came about when the original Well Park was divided up, and further that material from the enclosure would have been robbed to form the wall itself. To see the other half of the site you have to go back up beside the wall to the house and down into next field. It appears to be a smaller 'half', and as mentioned before presents a much less detailed appearance. Also there are only a couple of bared areas. Similar to the bank/ditch dichotomy we cannot tell if the relative 'smoothness' represents more of the original form surviving or, conversely, the greater subsequent subjection to the hand of man.
I wonder if the Hillhead of Crantit was a similar site to Hillhead - between that tidgy hollow the old O.S. miscalls a quarry and the distillery there is a curve to the hill that looks suspiciously regular and the earthwork at the ruined steading's uphill side could be where a bank has been cut by the road ?
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