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Groundwater Mound is a prehistoric earthwork located 200 metres north-north-west of the Loch of Kirbister in Orkney, Scotland. The monument sits upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, formed during the Middle Devonian period, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. This geological foundation is characteristic of Orkney's landscape and would have been exposed or near-surface when the mound was constructed, providing accessible building material for the monument's creation.
The mound represents a significant survival of Orkney's archaeological heritage and is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM1338. Its proximity to the Loch of Kirbister places it within a landscape rich in prehistoric activity, where water sources attracted successive periods of human occupation and settlement.
The monument's form and construction relate to a tradition of mound-building that spans several prehistoric periods in Orkney. Without archaeological excavation, the mound's precise date and original function remain uncertain, though such earthworks frequently served ceremonial, defensive or settlement purposes during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The survival of this structure provides valuable evidence of prehistoric land use in the northern isles.
Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1338. View the official record →
Groundwater Mound is a prehistoric earthwork located 200 metres north-north-west of the Loch of Kirbister in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1338.
Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister 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 SM1338.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Groundwater, burial mounds 500m ENE of (0.5 km), Loch of Kirbister,enclosures on Holm of Groundwater (0.7 km), Cuween Hill, chambered cairn (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister'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.
Groundwater, mound 200m NNW of, Loch of Kirbister stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.