Monument record MHG1740 - Unclassified Structure, Robert's Haven

Site visit and photo 1/7/2003. Some of stones from top of walls starting to tumble. NB there is more midden material between this building and coast edge being revealed in rabbit scrapes, this revealed fish bone. According to Paul Humphreys the sand from this area was collected during the war for, at present, an unknown purpose. HAW 7/2003

A sample column (E, 1msq), in the vicinity of this undated (but possibly medieval) ruined structure was re-opened and excavated to sterile glacial till. Ecofacts and artefacts were recovered from midden strata to facilitate the interpretation of this area vis-a-vis coastal deposits at ND37SE 4. A second 1msq column (1), immediately adjacent to the structure, was also excavated to clarify the stratigraphic relationship between building and its associated midden deposits.
Continued auger and geophysical survey (P Johnson, pers comm) suggests that this area and ND37SE 4 of intact archaeology are isolated in a landscape which was elsewhere stripped by extensive sand quarrying.
J H Barrett 1993

A 1.2m sq column was excavated adjacent to ruined structure. Intact midden layers were excavated to a depth of c.50cm, at which point they overlaid stone rubble or paving. These deposits are not yet securely dated.
J H Barrett 1992

On links at Robert's Haven a rectangular, shell-mortared structure, which was exposed from under a sandhill during sand removal work in 1950's. Overall it measures 8.8m NNW-SSE by 6.3m and stands up to 1.55m high. W wall was cleared during sand excavation and it is 0.9m thick; elsewhere the inner face is masked by a mixture of sand and rubble. The wall is neatly constructed with large stone blocks. Entrance is in NW. A later feature, possibly a stairway has been added to S corner. Its construction is also stone in shell-mortar, but the stones are smaller and masonry of an inferior quality. Where it joins original structure the masonry of the two walls has not been butted together. The age and purpose of structure are unknown but it may date back to medieval period. A bone pin was found and retained by Mr Murdo Sinclair, Keiss, when involved in sand removal work. It was found at foot of the 'stair' in S corner.
Visited by OS (JB) 19 July 1982.