Site Event/Activity record EHG3792 - Excavation - Balblair Wood, Beauly

Location

Location Balblair Wood, Beauly
Grid reference Centred NH 5042 4467 (74m by 37m)
Map sheet NH54SW
Operational Area INVERNESS NAIRN BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY
Civil Parish KILMORACK
Geographical Area INVERNESS

Technique(s)

Organisation

Northlight Heritage

Date

June-Aug 2012

Map

Description

An archaeological excavation was undertaken by Northlight Heritage in August 2012 ahead of the proposed development of an access road to a new substation facility at Wester Balblair, near Beauly, Highland. The proposed route of the access road passes through Balblair Woods, which is known to contain a large number of possible prehistoric features, primarily hut-circles and cairns. Five features which had been previously identified by survey and investigated through evaluation were excavated although one of these, a putative cairn, was found to be a natural mound. The four remaining features were comprised of a low dyke or bank, a small round cairn, a large amorphous cairn and a sub-oval enclosure defined by a stone and turf bank. Artefacts recovered during the excavation of these features along with several associated pits included a fragment of a possible copper alloy pin, prehistoric pottery and struck lithics. An additional phase of work, conducted in July 2013, identified and recorded a low stone bank during the construction of an access track. <1>

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Becket, A.. 2014. Beauly Substation Archaeological Excavation. Northlight Heritage. Digital.

Related Monuments/Buildings (4)

  • Cairn, Balblair Wood (Monument)
  • Cairn, Balblair Wood (Monument)
  • Hut circle or enclosure, Balblair Wood (Monument)
  • Possible ring cairn, Balblair Wood (Monument)

Record last edited

May 4 2016 11:51AM

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