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Latitude: 58.5119 / 58°30'42"N
Longitude: -3.3471 / 3°20'49"W
OS Eastings: 321612
OS Northings: 958980
OS Grid: ND216589
Mapcode National: GBR L637.7GN
Mapcode Global: WH6D4.KBB1
Entry Name: Nipster, henge 250m NNW of
Scheduled Date: 8 December 1997
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM7039
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: Prehistoric ritual and funerary: henge
Location: Bower
County: Highland
Electoral Ward: Thurso and Northwest Caithness
Traditional County: Caithness
The monument comprises a Class I henge of prehistoric date, visible as cropmarks on oblique aerial photographs and as slight features on the ground. A henge is a ceremonial monument dating to the later Neolithic period (very approximately 3000-2000 BC).
The monument lies in arable farmland at around 40m OD. It consists of a circular area 40m in diameter enclosed by a ditch which measures about 10m wide. It has one entrance which is situated on the NW side of the enclosure. The henge is visible as a faint depression on the ground, with a slight counterscarp bank, concentric with the enclosed area, visible about 15m out from the E side.
The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found. It is a parallelogram with sides 80m long, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric ritual practices. It may be expected to contain material relating to its mode of construction and use. The monument is of particular importance as it is a type of monument which has a very limited distribution in northern Scotland.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
RCAHMS records the monument as ND 25 NW 16.
Aerial Photographs used:
RCAHMS (1977) CA/680 ND25NW16.
RCAHMS (1977) CA/681 ND25NW16.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
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