Recent work at Links of Noltland, Westray, Orkney (NGR: HY 428 493) has investigated an eroding landscape in which the remains of numerous well-preserved Neolithic and Bronze Age buildings, together with their surrounding hinterlands, and later structures, are being stripped bare and destroyed by extreme wind erosion. The site is a scheduled ancient monument, the majority being a Property in Care.

Grobust structure excavated in the 1980s and reopened in 2008 (subsequently covered over again)

The buildings are largely made from stone and are upstanding; some reach 1m or more in height. Their original form is discernible, as well as subsequent modifications and rebuilding. They are accompanied by outbuildings, paths, field boundaries, cultivation soils and substantial middens; inside, there are deep floor deposits, containing evidence of the activities which took place there. The buildings are arranged both in clusters and in isolation, suggestive of dispersed settlement surrounded by farmland which developed over a lengthy period of time, with origins from at least around 2500 BC. A wide range of artefacts have been recovered, including decorated Neolithic grooved ware pottery, flint, tools and items made from stone and bone and, in the later period, steatite vessels which probably originated in Shetland. Initial analysis of the associated cultivation soils indicates that they are well stratified and have the potential to provide a wealth of information on land management and
agricultural practice.

Neolithic grooved ware pottery

These remains are significant both in the national and international context. Settlements of these periods are extremely rare and such well-preserved examples are difficult to parallel,except perhaps with Skara Brae, the importance of which is internationally recognized by its incorporation as a World Heritage Site. As with Skara Brae, the remains at the Links of Noltland allow for 'a level of interpretation unmatched on other excavated settlement sites of this period in Europe' (Historic Scotland 1998).

Excavators working on a new Iron Age house, eroding from the dunes.

There are some obvious differences between these two sites, however. At Skara Brae the structural remains are clustered and stand to a greater height, producing a more immediate visual impact, whereas the Noltland buildings are lower, more dispersed and less visually imposing. In compensation, the Noltland settlement survives within the context of its contemporary landscape setting and it extends over a longer chronological period. Unlike Skara Brae, the Noltland remains appear to offer less scope for consolidation and presentation, at least without significant loss of authenticity, and are under immediate threat from erosion. While this presents a serious management challenge, it also offers an unparalleled research opportunity.

The text and photographs above are taken from the May 2009 report by Ease Archaeology (Hazel Moore and Graeme Wilson), commissioned by Historic Scotland. All photographs and information courtesy of Ease Archaeology and Historic Scotland and are copyright.