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Kingarth Standing Stones is a Bronze Age monument comprising standing stones located on the island of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. The stones are positioned on bedrock formed from the Stratheden Group, a Late Devonian sandstone and conglomerate sequence, which has shaped the underlying geology of this part of Bute. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM400.
Standing stones of Bronze Age date are characteristic monuments of Scotland's prehistoric landscape, typically erected between approximately 3000 and 1000 BC, often as focal points for ritual or ceremonial activity. At Kingarth, the local geology has provided substantial blocks of stone suitable for such permanent monuments. The interbed nature of the Stratheden Group sandstones and conglomerates would have offered workable stone for quarrying and setting upright.
The site remains an important record of Bronze Age settlement and religious practice on Bute. The protected status reflects its archaeological and historical significance as a surviving example of standing stone tradition, contributing to our understanding of prehistoric communities in the Clyde region and their engagement with the landscape during the Bronze Age.
Kingarth,standing stones is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM400. View the official record →
Kingarth Standing Stones is a Bronze Age monument comprising standing stones located on the island of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM400.
Kingarth,standing stones dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a standing stones. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kingarth,standing stones 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 SM400.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone circle, 650m ENE of Lynford (0.8 km), Kingavin,deserted village 650m ENE of Dunagoil (1.8 km), St Blane's church,monastery and 'the cauldron',Bute (2.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kingarth,standing stones'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.
Kingarth,standing stones stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.