Old Photograph Bay of Skaill Orkney Islands Scotland

Old photograph of the Bay of Skaill on the West Coast of the mainland Orkney Islands, Scotland.



Tour Scotland video of the Neolithic village on visit to Skara Brae located on Bay of Skaill on the West Coast of the mainland Orkney Islands, Scotland. Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, it has been called the Scottish Pompei" because of its excellent preservation. In the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll known as " Skerrabra ". When the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the local laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after four houses were uncovered, the work was abandoned in 1868. The site remained undisturbed until 1913, when during a single weekend the site was plundered by a party with shovels who took away an unknown quantity of artefacts. In 1924, another storm swept away part of one of the houses and it was determined the site should be made secure and more seriously investigated. The job was given to University of Edinburgh's Professor Vere Gordon Childe who travelled to Skara Brae for the first time in mid 1927.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.