Time for the old house to die? – henges and houses in the Neolithic
“The first decayed and new ones were made. And in time the new ones became old, yet still they were rings of timber – though now the rings were trimmed posts raised within a...
Category: Standing Stones
Around the Ness: ‘Lochview’ Standing Stones
…at the north-west end of the Bridge of Brogar is a large dilapidated tumulus, which appears to be the ruin of an ancient stone Pict’s castle; close by it are two small standing stones.”...
Around the Ness – The Stone of Odin
“As we passed the Bridge of Brodgar, we could dimly descry the Standing Stones of Stenness on the eminence but today looming in the darkness like a regiment of grim spectres. As we approached...
Around the Ness: The Barnhouse Stone
“…on the day itself, at the death of one year and the birth of the next, the sun drops onto the top of the Barnhouse Stone…” Mark Edmonds. Orcadia: Land, Sea and Stone in...
Around the Ness: Howe, Stromness
“A slightly different form of expansion may be present at Howe, Stromness, Mainland, where two buildings initially interpreted as a stalled tomb and mortuary house, due to the presence of hearths, can be confidently...
Around the Ness: The Deepdale Stone
By Sigurd Towrie Head north along the road parallel to the south-western shore of the Stenness loch and a single standing stone will be clearly visible on high ground to the north-west. Located in...
Around the Ness: The Stones of Stenness – part two
“Each of the remaining pillars is about 18 feet above ground: one was lately thrown down, but has not been broken; three were, in the month of December 1814, torn from the spot on...
Around the Ness: the Comet Stone
“The old track now passes by a small, solitary standing stone slab, encircled in green for some distance around its base and finally merging again into heather.” George Marwick. The Standing Stones of Stenness...
Photographic mastery – Jim Richardson views from around the Ness
In 2012, Jim Richardson visited the Ness to capture images for a planned National Geographic feature article. The resultant images were truly awe-inspiring and today, thanks to Jim’s generosity, we’re able to share a ...
A natural cursus? Water, walls and walking the Ness
“Seven thousand years ago, Mesolithic hunter gatherers walked the long ridge of land in the heart of Orkney, known today as the Ness of Brodgar. Later, Neolithic farmers chose that land to erect massive...
Diary extra – Around the Ring of Brodgar
It’s a beautiful day in the West Mainland of Orkney. One of those very rare summer days when there’s hardly a breath of wind. With some work to do at Ness dig HQ,...
Around the Ness: The Watchstone
“When on the way to the Bridge of Brogar, attention is at once arrested by a singly giant monolith … standing erect, like a giant sentinel, called the Watch Stone” James Macbeath. The Orkneys...