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Ardnadam is a medieval settlement, chapel and enclosure located in Argyllshire, Scotland, 215 metres west of The Larches. The site sits upon bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, comprising psammite and pelite rocks that formed during the Middle Cambrian period. This geological foundation of metamorphosed sedimentary stone would have provided building material for the settlement's structures, typical of medieval communities established across the Scottish Highlands.
The monument comprises three distinct elements: a settled area, a chapel building, and an associated enclosure. Such combinations were characteristic of medieval rural settlement patterns in western Scotland, where ecclesiastical and domestic functions often operated in close proximity. The chapel indicates this was a place of both habitation and worship, likely serving a small community or landholding during the medieval period.
The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the statutory monument reference SM3235, recognising its significance as evidence of medieval settlement organisation and religious life in Argyllshire. The physical arrangement of chapel, enclosure and settlement survives as a landscape record of how communities structured their occupation of this Highland location, reflecting patterns of medieval land use that characterised the region.
Ardnadam, settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m W of The Larches is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3235. View the official record →
Ardnadam is a medieval settlement, chapel and enclosure located in Argyllshire, Scotland, 215 metres west of The Larches. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3235.
Ardnadam, settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m W of The Larches dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m w of the larches. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ardnadam, settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m W of The Larches is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM3235.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dunloskin Wood, platforms and charcoal production area (0.7 km), Adam's Cave, chambered cairn, Ardnadam (0.9 km), Kilmun Collegiate Church, tower and burial ground (2.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ardnadam, settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m W of The Larches's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ardnadam, settlement, chapel and enclosure 215m W of The Larches stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.