A red-sandstone tomb crowns Vinquoy Hill and looks out over Calf Sound. Vinquoy chambered cairn is a restored Maeshowe-type Neolithic chambered cairn, a stone burial mound with an internal chamber and side cells, on Eday.
The monument combines a prominent hilltop setting with a familiar Orkney tomb plan. Excavated in the nineteenth century by James Farrer and Robert Fraser Hebden, it has a passage, central chamber, side-cells, corbelled roof evidence, and a long protected history as part of the Eday Heritage Trail.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Vinquoy chambered cairn lies on Eday in Orkney. The tomb probably dates to the early third millennium BC. It is similar in design to the Maeshowe Neolithic tomb on Mainland Orkney.
The monument stands on Vinquoy Hill, the highest point on the island, overlooking Calf Sound. The tomb has an entrance passage leading to a central chamber with four small side-cells. The central chamber originally had a corbelled roof, built with overlapping stones that narrow upwards.
James Farrer and Robert Fraser Hebden first excavated the tomb in 1857. Historic Scotland first scheduled the cairn in 1936. The site is open to the public and is part of the Eday Heritage Trail.
People
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James Farrer
antiquarian who excavated the tomb in 1857.
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Robert Fraser Hebden
landowner who excavated the tomb with Farrer.
Connections
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Photo: Otter at Dutch Wikipedia (Original text: Hopmans) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Maeshowe
Vinquoy is described as similar in design to this Mainland Orkney tomb.
What to look for
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Hilltop setting
The tomb stands on Vinquoy Hill overlooking Calf Sound.
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Central chamber
A passage leads to a chamber with four small side-cells.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 59.2273°N · 2.7725°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The pack says the site is open to the public and part of the Eday Heritage Trail.
Nearby places
Tomb or burial place · Prehistoric
Quoyness Chambered Cairn
Orkney Islands
Quoyness is a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Elsness peninsula of Sanday, Orkney, of the Maeshowe type and probably built around 3000 BC. Origina…
- Near Sanday
- 20 min walk from car park
- Easy path
Questions people ask
- What is Vinquoy chambered cairn?
- It is a restored Maeshowe-type Neolithic chambered cairn on Eday.
- Where does it stand?
- It stands on Vinquoy Hill, the highest point on Eday, overlooking Calf Sound.
- Who excavated it first?
- James Farrer and Robert Fraser Hebden excavated it in 1857.
- Is it open to the public?
- The pack says it is open to the public and part of the Eday Heritage Trail.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Vinquoy chambered cairn
Explore more: Tomb or burial places · Prehistoric · Orkney Islands
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