Low stone house-footings beside the Loch of Harray mark a Neolithic settlement close to the Standing Stones of Stenness. Barnhouse Settlement is a late Neolithic village site, with free-standing houses, hearths, stone furniture, drains, and a later ceremonial building layered into the same landscape.
Excavation revealed a place tied materially and visually to Orkney’s great monument complex. Domestic work clustered around an open area, while later Structure 8 aligned with midsummer sunset and Maeshowe, suggesting that the abandoned settlement became part of a ceremonial landscape rather than simply fading away.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Colin Richards discovered Barnhouse Settlement in 1984. Excavations from 1986 to 1991 revealed the base courses of at least fifteen houses.
The settlement dates to around 3000 BC and shows similarities with early Skara Brae houses. The houses had central hearths, beds against the walls, stone dressers, and internal drains, but appear to have been free-standing.
Grooved ware pottery, flint and stone tools, and pitchstone thought to come from Arran were found. House 2 was larger and better built than the others and was rebuilt up to five times.
Evidence suggests Barnhouse was abandoned around 2600 BC. After occupation ended, Structure 8 was built partly over earlier buildings and is interpreted as ceremonial rather than domestic.
Structure 8 had a midsummer-sunset alignment and an entrance alignment with Maeshowe.
People
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Colin Richards
archaeologist who discovered the settlement in 1984.
Connections
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Standing Stones of Stenness
Barnhouse is nearby and is accessible by footpath from the stones.
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Maeshowe
Structure 8 has an entrance alignment with Maeshowe.
What to look for
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House footings
Base courses of Neolithic houses show the settlement layout.
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Structure 8
The later building marks the ceremonial reuse of the site.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 58.9958°N · 3.2068°W
- Access
- Reached on a public path
- Terrain
- Easy going
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- Accessible to the public via a footpath from the Standing Stones of Stenness.
Nearby places
Carved stone · Prehistoric
Stones of Stenness Circle and Henge
Orkney Islands
The Stones of Stenness are a Neolithic monument and may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles; radiocarbon dating indicates work on the sit…
- Near Stenness
- 2 min walk from car park
- Easy path
Tomb or burial place · Prehistoric
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn
Orkney Islands
The chambered cairn was built around 2800 BC by Neolithic farming communities of central Orkney, associated with the Grooved ware pottery tradition…
- Near Stenness
- 1.6 km from car park
- Easy path
Questions people ask
- What is Barnhouse Settlement?
- It is a Neolithic settlement by the Loch of Harray, near the Standing Stones of Stenness.
- How was it found?
- Colin Richards discovered it in 1984, and excavation followed from 1986 to 1991.
- How does it compare with Skara Brae?
- Its houses share hearths, beds, stone dressers, and drains, but Barnhouse houses seem to have been free-standing.
- What was Structure 8?
- The pack interprets it as a ceremonial building added after the settlement was abandoned.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Barnhouse Settlement
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Orkney Islands
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