New ‘ritual building’ discovered at Links of Noltland

A new “ritual building” unearthed at Links of Noltland, Westray, has been described by experts as the best example of a preserved Bronze Age building yet uncovered in Orkney.

The building, encased within a stony mound had not been investigated until now, but, as the structure stands less than 5m from the coast edge and is

suffering the effects of erosion, experts felt the time was right to examine it in more detail.

Work in May this year revealed stonework eroding out of the coast edge in front of the mound. Further investigation led to the discovery of an almost perfectly preserved well house, with a stairway leading down to a 2.5m deep cistern.

EASE Archaeology’s Hazel Moore said: “There is much yet to investigate, but already the findings are that this is undoubtedly the best preserved BA building yet uncovered in Orkney — a Bronze Age Skara Brae which has been preserved through a rare set of circumstances — with the ability to shed much new light on the life and ritual of a small farming community living through a period of immense environmental change.”

See next week’s The Orcadian for an in-depth look at the new discovery.