Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Binghill House, stone circle & cairn 200m WSW of

A Scheduled Monument in Lower Deeside, Aberdeen City

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 57.1121 / 57°6'43"N

Longitude: -2.2407 / 2°14'26"W

OS Eastings: 385522

OS Northings: 802378

OS Grid: NJ855023

Mapcode National: GBR XH.HXC7

Mapcode Global: WH9QV.KH7M

Entry Name: Binghill House, stone circle & cairn 200m WSW of

Scheduled Date: 6 December 2005

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM11177

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Prehistoric ritual and funerary: stone circle or ring

Location: Peterculter

County: Aberdeen City

Electoral Ward: Lower Deeside

Traditional County: Aberdeenshire

Description

The monument comprises a recumbent stone circle surrounding a ring-cairn, and a burial cairn to the east, all of prehistoric date. The monuments lies on a slight slope, within the wooded policies of Binghill, the surviving portion of a small surviving prehistoric landscape on this fertile ridge N of the River Dee.

The stone circle measures about 9.2m in diameter, but only three stones survive in situ. One on the N arc stands 1.3m high and another on the NNE, 1.1m high; while a massive recumbent stone on the SSE is 2.2m wide and 1.1m high. Two further stones on the E and two flankers lie prostrate and their original positions cannot be ascertained. The ring-cairn measures 7.6m in diameter over a boulder kerb, enclosing an area about 2.4m in diameter.

The cairn measures at least 6m in diameter and stands 0.5m in height. There is a possible kerbstone on the SE arc.

The scheduled area is in two parts. The area round the stone circle and ring-cairn is a portion of a circle with a maximum diameter of 30m, centred on the centre of the stone circle. It is bounded to the NW by a field wall, the upstanding element of which is excluded from the scheduling. The area to be scheduled round the cairn lies about 40m to the east. It is a circle 25m in diameter. Both areas include the visible features and an area around them in which evidence relating to construction and use of the monuments may survive. Both are marked in red on the attached map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric ritual and funerary practices. Although few of the stones of the circle are standing, the buried archaeology of the site will survive. The interest and importance of the site is enhanced by the presence of the burial cairn, which will contain the remains of at least one burial, and will also cover and area of contemporary ground surface.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The site is recorded by RCAHMS as NJ80SE 16.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.