Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

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

Gue, house to south of, Baliasta, Unst

A Scheduled Monument in North Isles, 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: 60.768 / 60°46'4"N

Longitude: -0.8896 / 0°53'22"W

OS Eastings: 460595

OS Northings: 1209957

OS Grid: HP605099

Mapcode National: GBR S048.YSL

Mapcode Global: XHF74.VLCY

Entry Name: Gue, house to S of, Baliasta, Unst

Scheduled Date: 2 March 1998

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM7659

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Secular: house

Location: Unst

County: Shetland Islands

Electoral Ward: North Isles

Traditional County: Shetland

Description

The monument comprises the footings of a rectangular house of probable Viking or Norse-Medieval date, lying downslope from the present croft house at Gue.

The remains show very distinctly as grass-covered rises in grassland. The main structure is aligned N-S, running downslope. The S end is least well-preserved. The house measures some 19m long by 4m wide within walls up to 1m thick and does not have markedly bowed side walls. It appears to have been subdivided transversely and has two opposed entrances towards its upper end.

A small extension appears to have been attached on the W side. There are many old field walls nearby, especially to the E and S. These are now tumbled and largely grass-covered. They are clearly earlier than the recent drystone walls which are still partly in use as field boundaries.

This house, on current typologies, should lie relatively early in the Viking-Norse-Medieval timespan.

The area to be scheduled is rectangular, oriented NNE-SSW, and bounded on the NW by a recent drystone wall, which is excluded from scheduling. It measures 50m by 30m, to include the house, its extension, and an area around in which remains associated with their construction and use, and with contemporary agriculture, are likely to survive. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a rare occurrence of a house of probable early Norse date identifiable on field characteristics. It gains additional importance as a member of a group of several such sites on the island of Unst. The important evidence regarding Norse settlement and agricultural economy which this monument can provide could be further expanded by comparative study of the related monuments in the island, several of which are being scheduled at this time.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HP 60 SW 24.

Reference:

Stummann-Hansen, S. (1985) Report No. 20 ' Gue, Baliasta.

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.