Description

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric settlement consisting of the foundations of two houses together with stretches of field wall and cairns of field-cleared stones.

The settlement is located on a low ridge E of the loch, and is crossed by the ruinous old hill dyke. Directly under this dyke is the foundation of an oval house some 12.5m by 13.7m externally, with very thick walls which may conceal subsidiary or linked cells. 20m to the WNW lies another oval house foundation, but less detail can be seen.

This measures 12.7m by 9m overall, and there is a slight mound on its SW end. 45m SW of this is an oval mound 6m by 8m and 1m high, which may be a burnt mound although this is not clear. A number of slight traces of former field walls, including a number of upright earthfast slabs and several scattered cairns of field-cleared stones complete the remains.

The area to be scheduled is an irregular D-shape on plan, measuring a maximum of 100m N-S (along the old hill dyke) by 75m, to include all of the features described above and an area around them in which further remains of prehistoric agricultural settlement are likely to survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as one of a group of well-preserved pre-Iron Age prehistoric settlements on the N side of Papa Stour. This close grouping of several settlements, each slightly different in detail but all apparently of the same broad date, has the potential to provide important information about the range and diversity of prehistoric settlement in Shetland, where settlement of this period survives visibly in a greater concentration than almost anywhere else in Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland