Photo source: Libasstref, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
A storm in the winter of 1850 tore the turf from a sand dune above the Bay of Skaill and exposed Skara Brae, a cluster of stone-built houses that had lain buried for thousands of years.
The site sits on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, and is widely regarded as the most complete Neolithic village surviving in Europe.
Ten houses and four covered passageways can still be seen, along with stone furniture including box beds and dressers built directly into the walls.
Historic Environment Scotland cares for the site, which forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The village was occupied from around 3180 BC to about 2500 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. William Watt, the local laird, began digging into the exposed mound after the 1850 storm and uncovered several of the houses himself. Formal excavation followed in 1927 and 1928 under the archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe, whose work established Skara Brae's importance to Neolithic studies.
Architecture
The houses are built of local flagstone and linked by low, covered passages, with each home centred on a stone hearth and fitted with stone dressers, box beds and storage boxes that would once have been lined with clay to hold water.
Worth knowing
Skara Brae is one of four monuments that together make up the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Open year-round with seasonal hour variations; check official website for current dates and times.
Nearby properties
Skara Brae Visitor Centre
View Skara Brae Visitor Centre on heritage mapCuween Hill Chambered Cairn
View Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn on heritage mapBroch of Gurness
View Broch of Gurness on heritage mapMidhowe Broch
View Midhowe Broch on heritage mapKirkwall Earl's Palace
View Kirkwall Earl's Palace on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Skara Brae (KW16) there are 1 historic properties, including 1 museum.
Within 10 miles of Skara Brae (KW16) there are 9 historic properties, including 4 archaeological sites and 2 historic sites.
Within 20 miles of Skara Brae (KW16) there are 29 historic properties, including 12 archaeological sites, 4 churchs and 3 historic sites.
Facts
Europe's best-preserved Neolithic village, its stone furniture still standing exactly as it was left 4,500 years ago.
- Type
- prehistoric_site
- Location
- Orkney, Scotland
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