Barnhouse Settlement

Barnhouse Settlement is a Late Neolithic village site on Mainland, Orkney, dating to around 3000 BCE. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

The site contains visible remains of stone-built houses and low banks; paths and information panels explain the settlement’s layout and relationship to neighbouring monuments. It sits close to the principal Neolithic ceremonial monuments on Mainland, making it part of a cluster of prehistoric sites.

Archaeological evidence shows the settlement was occupied in the Late Neolithic and formed part of an agricultural and ceremonial landscape; the houses were constructed of stone and arranged within a planned layout.

Barnhouse is located on Mainland, Orkney, in northern Scotland, within easy walking distance of the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar and accessible by minor roads and footpaths from nearby towns.

• UNESCO: Forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage landscape as an example of a Late Neolithic village.
• Visitor note: Interpretation panels are installed on site but facilities are limited, so allow time for the short walk-in visit.

What to See #

• Settlement remains: Remains of multiple Late Neolithic stone-built houses set as a planned settlement within a small area of flattened mounds and stone footings.
• Nearby monuments: Part of a wider Neolithic ritual and domestic landscape that includes nearby ceremonial monuments.