Description

The monument is a chambered cairn surrounded by the remains of a stone circle, dating from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (fourth to third millennia BC). It is visible as a ring of stones about 13m in overall diameter and standing up to 1m high with a smaller inner kerb around the centre of the cairn. Four monoliths stand to the northeast, east, southeast and south. The monument is located within a residential development in Aviemore and sits 213m above sea level.

The burial cairn is a Clava cairn, a type only found in the Inverness-shire area. These are circular chambered cairns, sometimes with a surrounding stone circle, named after a collection of cairns at Balnuaran of Clava near Inverness. The cairn has an almost complete outer kerb formed by a line of stones up to 1m high and is very gently graded in height with the peak at the southwest. The inner kerb is mostly turfed over but protruding stones indicate that it is approximately 7m in diameter. The area between the two kerbs would originally have been filled with stones but there is now very little cairn material left. The four standing stones are approximately 5m from the edge of the cairn, the tallest is almost 1.5m tall and is located at the southwest. The shortest standing stone is at the northeast and is around 0.75m tall but appears to have partially fallen towards the cairn. A further monolith, broken into two pieces, lies under a planted hedge and is approximately 6m north northeast of the cairn.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan and includes the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduling specifically excludes the information plaque and stone plinth, wooden fences and manhole to allow for maintenance. The monument was originally scheduled in 1935 but the documentation did not meet current standards; the present amendment rectifies this.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it has inherent potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular the design, construction and use of burial and ceremonial monuments. It retains its field characteristics to a marked degree including the surviving structural form of the outer kerb of the cairn and remains of the stone circle. There is no record of any previous excavation, suggesting high potential for the survival of important archaeological evidence. The cairn lies in the heart of Strathspey and is an important prehistoric monument within that landscape. This monument, together with other broadly contemporary sites in the vicinity, can give insights into the nature of the Neolithic landscape and add to our understanding of social organisation, land use and ritual within Strathspey in the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. Clava type cairns are only situated in the Inverness-shire area and loss of the monument from within this relatively small distribution area would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand structures and practices associated with death and burial in prehistory

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 14927 (accessed on 18/04/2016).

Burl, A . (1976) The stone circles of the British Isles. London and New Haven.

Cash, C G. (1906) Stone circles at Grenish, Aviemore, and Delfour, Strathspey', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 40, 1905-6. Pages: 249-50.

Henshall, A S. (1963) The chambered tombs of Scotland, vol. 1. Edinburgh. Pages: 360-1.

Stuart, J. (1870a) Notice of cists and other remains discovered in "Cairn Curr", on the farm of Warrackstone, in Aberdeenshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 7, 1866-8. Pages: 303.

Thom, Thom and Burl, A, A S and A. (1980) Megalithic rings: plans and data for 229 monuments in Britain, Brit Archaeol Rep, BAR British, vol. 81. Oxford. Pages: 258-9.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland