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Knock Hill Hut Circle is a prehistoric domestic settlement situated 340 metres south of Wester Braehead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The monument is a hut circle, a form of Iron Age or Bronze Age dwelling found throughout northern Britain, consisting of a shallow, roughly circular depression marking where a roundhouse once stood. Such structures typically housed single families or small extended groups and represent the domestic life of farming communities in the prehistoric Highlands.
The site occupies bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion of Silurian age, a harder volcanic stone that would have shaped both the landscape and the building practices of its ancient occupants. The underlying geology is characteristic of the Aberdeenshire uplands, an area rich in prehistoric settlement evidence. The hut circle's location on this elevated terrain reflects the settlement patterns of Bronze and Iron Age populations, who often favoured higher ground for views and drainage.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduled monument reference SM11531, recognising its archaeological importance as evidence of prehistoric rural settlement in the northeast of Scotland. Such hut circles contribute significantly to understanding patterns of early settlement, agriculture and social organisation in the region during the later prehistoric period.
Knock Hill, hut circle 340m S of Wester Braehead is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11531. View the official record →
Knock Hill Hut Circle is a prehistoric domestic settlement situated 340 metres south of Wester Braehead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM11531.
Knock Hill, hut circle 340m S of Wester Braehead 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 SM11531.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Knockargety Wood, unfinished hillfort 200m to 370m N of Upper Ruthven (0.7 km), Ferny Howe, cairn 200m ESE of (0.8 km), Leys, homestead 400m NW of (1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Knock Hill, hut circle 340m S of Wester Braehead'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.
Knock Hill, hut circle 340m S of Wester Braehead stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.