The Watchstone
One of Orkney's most imposing standing stones, the Watchstone dominates the south-eastern end of the Brig o’ Brodgar – the place where the Harray and Stenness lochs meet. Read more
Category: Around the Ness
Ness flanked by lochs in prehistory? Surveys suggest otherwise
The Ness of Brodgar sits at the centre of a massive natural "cauldron" formed by the hills of the surrounding landscape. Today, it is accentuated on either side by the freshwater Loch of Harray and the saltwater Loch of Stenness - but that was not always the case. Read more
Solved! The perplexing puzzle of the Stones of Stenness ‘building’
The Standing Stones of Stenness (1906).
There’s nothing like finally getting to the bottom of an irksome puzzle. In this case, the puzzle related to an old photograph of the… Read more
Roadwork in 2013 revealed structure beyond the ‘Great Wall’
A section of the six-metre-long section of walling uncovered during work to insert a passing place opposite the site entrance in 2013. (📷 ORCA)
The location of the 2013 trench… Read more
Antiquarian delvings on the Ness
Evidence for earlier excavations at the Ness - probably in the early 1880s - has come to light in a handwritten note from the papers, manuscripts and notebooks kept by James Walls Cursiter. Read more
Rivalries in Neolithic Orkney outlined in new ‘Antiquity’ study
A new study, published in the journal Antiquity, is challenging the previously understood narrative for Neolithic Orkney. Read more
