Monument record MHG54071 - Possible prehistoric industrial site, Slackbuie

NH64SE 531
NH 671 419 (centred on) Elphinstone Holdings Ltd commissioned SUAT to undertake an archaeological excavation on the site of land being sold for development at Slackbuie, Inverness. The development area was a green field site located on the south-east side of Inverness and contained two separate areas of archaeological interest, Areas A and B.
Within Area A (centred on NH 67119 41947) a sub-triangle measuring 4243m2 was stripped of topsoil down to an archaeological horizon lying directly on an undisturbed subsoil dividing between dry yellow-brown sandy gravel to the northeast (covering the majority of the area) and moist orange-brown clay and gravel to the southwest. In the southern part of this area a complex series of pits and postholes were exposed, representing the possible remains of several structures. The clearest visible structure is that of a post hole defined round-house set around a central roof support. Several probable storage pits were also excavated. Finds from the site included two worked flint blades, recovered from a pit and post hole within the possible round-house complex. Sherds of coarse pottery were also recovered from one of the pits. On the basis of these finds, and 14C assay, the remains are dated to the mid to late Bronze Age.
In Area B (centred on NH 674 420), a rectangle measuring 8000m2 was stripped of topsoil, exposing a small number of pit or posthole features. Although suggestive of some form of structure, these were too sparse to be strongly indicative of such. Amongst them was a large pit containing large quantities of stones and slight indications of heating/burning. It is speculated that this feature might have been associated with waste disposal from some small-scale industrial process. Small quantities of iron slag were recovered during the evaluation phase.
The work (SUAT side code JN10) was carried out between 19th March and 25th April 2007, in varying weather conditions.
C Fyles (SUAT Ltd), 25 October 2007. <1>

A number of features indicative of a industrial activity were noted in evaluation trenches 38, 40, 48 & 49 (Area B). Finds from Area B comprised two iron objects, slag and hammer scale from a small, truncated pit, indicating metalworking was being carried out in the locality. A possible prehistoric date has been suggested for these features.
A large post hole/pit, probably of early date given the similarity of this feature with post holes discovered as part of structures from the 1st and 2nd century AD remains from Culduthel Phase 5, was also recorded. <2>

A group of postholes, two small hearth features and a pit were recorded during subsequent excavation of Area B at Slackbuie. The pit contained heat affected stones, and a possible interpretation is that this represents the by-products of an industrial process which was happening off-site. Alternatively, this may represent a backfilled posthole, where the post had been burnt in situ. A C14 date came from a charred barley grain, of late Bronze Age or early Iron Age date. This raises an alternative interpretation, that the pit is actually a storage pit. <3>

The RCAHMS record refers to two discrete areas of activity. This record (MHG54071) refers to the activity, centred on the pit with a possible industrial function, in Area B. See MHG51720 for activity in Area A. <4>