Rennibister Earth House

Inside the souterrain
Entrance to the site is through a hatch in the rood

Rennibister Earth House is located on the Mainland of Orkney, in Scotland.[1] It is located by the south eastern shore of the Bay o' Firth, in a farm yard and is accessed by a hatch in the roof of the earth house and by a ladder. Its location is more picturesque than that of its counterpart, Grain Earth House.

The souterrain was discovered when a threshing machine caused the roof to collapse on 12 November 1926 and seems to date from c. 1000 BC. Access was originally by a passage that was low, with a small drop into the chamber. The chamber itself has 4 pillars supporting the roof, and 5 alcoves in the walls. Unusually, the chamber had the remains of 6 adults and 12 children.

The site is currently in the care of Historic Scotland as a scheduled monument.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/earth-houses/rennibister.htm
  2. ↑ "Rennibister, souterrain SM90245". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 13 October 2017.

Further reading

Coordinates: 58°59′48″N 3°2′59″W / 58.99667°N 3.04972°W / 58.99667; -3.04972

Prehistoric Orkney

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