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Cairn Hanach is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated on the south side of Warehouse Hill in Caithness, northern Scotland. This monument belongs to the distinctive tradition of megalithic burial architecture that flourished across Scotland during the Neolithic period, typically between 4000 and 2500 BCE. The cairn's location on sloping terrain reflects the careful placement of such monuments within the local landscape, whilst its construction would have utilised stone gathered from the surrounding area, including material from the underlying Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock of Devonian age that forms the foundation of this region.
The monument rests upon conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposits characteristic of the Caithness landscape. Chambered cairns of this type served as communal burial places, their internal stone chambers enabling repeated interment of the dead over extended periods. The architectural form and construction methods of such monuments demonstrate sophisticated understanding of structural principles and considerable communal labour investment.
Cairn Hanach is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM433, recognising its significance as an archaeological and cultural resource. The site contributes to understanding Neolithic settlement patterns and mortuary practices across northern Scotland, though the monument's precise architectural details and condition require site inspection for complete assessment.
Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM433. View the official record →
Cairn Hanach is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated on the south side of Warehouse Hill in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM433.
Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn s side of warehouse hill. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill 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 SM433.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Groat's Loch, cairn 225m WSW of (0.2 km), Broughwhin, cairn and stone row 190m NW of Groat's Loch (0.3 km), Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (0.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill'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.
Cairn Hanach,chambered cairn S side of Warehouse Hill stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.