Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM3724_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600009764)

Summary

Description

The monument is a prehistoric house, probably in use sometime during the period 3000 BC to AD 500. The house is visible as an upstanding feature represented by large slabs and stones and turf-covered walls. The monument lies about 10m above sea level, on a cliff edge. The monument was originally scheduled in 1975 but the documentation does not meet modern standards: this rescheduling resolves this by clarifying the extent of the scheduled area.

The house is oval in shape and measures 6m by 7m internally and 11m long externally, with turf-covered walls ranging from 0.5m to 2m wide. There is an entrance on the east and the remains of an apparent porch 1.5m long.

The area to be scheduled is circular on plan, 20m in diameter, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

Cultural Significance

The monument's cultural significance can be expressed as follows:

Intrinsic characteristics

This monument survives in reasonably good condition in acidic grassland. The house is likely to contain the remains of foundations, floor surfaces and associated pits and middens and has the potential to provide insight into how prehistoric houses were designed and constructed. The buried remains may include artefacts and ecofacts that can help us understand how people lived at this site, how they farmed and used the natural environment, and how they exchanged goods with other groups. Future researchers may be able to date the buried remains, determine any development sequence and ascertain whether occupation of the site was interrupted by one or more periods of disuse.

Contextual characteristics

This monument lies within a landscape that is rich in archaeological remains and can enhance our understanding of the wider prehistoric archaeological landscape. A similar house lies 20m to the SW and an impressive standing stone lies 260m to the NNE. Lines of stone forming field boundaries in the vicinity may be associated. The site's location right on the coast adds particular interest, since prehistoric houses in Shetland usually lie further inland.

National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of the past, in particular of prehistoric settlement and land use. This house has the potential to improve our understanding of the distribution of prehistoric settlement, the structural techniques used to build houses and changes in settlement over time. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our future ability to appreciate and understand the nature of prehistoric settlement and society in Shetland.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.