Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

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

Newhouse,homestead and field system 200m south of

A Scheduled Monument in Shetland West, Shetland Islands

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: 60.2957 / 60°17'44"N

Longitude: -1.4338 / 1°26'1"W

OS Eastings: 431399

OS Northings: 1156971

OS Grid: HU313569

Mapcode National: GBR Q1TJ.FQ2

Mapcode Global: XHD2H.QHM0

Entry Name: Newhouse,homestead and field system 200m S of

Scheduled Date: 9 December 1992

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM5500

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Prehistoric domestic and defensive: field or field system

Location: Sandsting

County: Shetland Islands

Electoral Ward: Shetland West

Traditional County: Shetland

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a small prehistoric farm, represented by the foundations of one house and remains of field

walls.

The house survives as an oval foundation of large stones, some 10.0m by 7.5m, with its entrance facing NE and looking downslope. Outside the entrance is a line of large boulders, perhaps a windbreak for the door. A small oval field, bounded by a boulder wall, lies 25m to the NE, and there are other stretches of field walling visible below the peat to the N and W.

The area to be scheduled is an irregular oval, cut by the public road, which is excluded, together with its verges and fences. The modern fence which forms a small part of the NE boundary is also excluded from scheduling. The area to be scheduled is marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as an unusually small example of a single-house prehistoric farming settlement in a rather unpromising north-east facing location. The location and scale of the fields suggests that this settlement was at the lower end of economic viability, and it provides an interesting comparison to set alongside the much more extensive (and by inference more successful) settlements in West Mainland Shetland, such as Scord of Brouster, Pinhoulland or Ness of Guting.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HU35NW 5.

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.