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Regarded as one of the most remarkable monuments in Europe, the site was discovered in the winter of 1850 following a great storm which battered the island. Fierce winds and extremely high tides stripped the grass from the large mound known as Skerrabra
Several stone buildings have been unearthed in subsequent excavations, and now survives as eight dwellings, linked together by a series of low alleyways.
Radiocarbon dating has shown the settlement dates from the Late Neolithic period, and was actually inhabited between 3200BC and 2200BC
Because of the protective cocoon offered by the sand covering the settlement for 4000 years, the buildings and contents are incrediably well preserved, giving an unparalleled glimpse of life as it was in Neolithic Orkney, and an enduring testament to the stonewallers.
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