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Stroma Lighthouse, chambered cairn is a Neolithic funerary monument situated on the Island of Stroma in Caithness, north-eastern Scotland. The cairn lies south-west of the lighthouse that marks this exposed headland in the Pentland Firth. Built from stone readily available across the island, the monument rests upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a mixed sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone laid down during the Middle Devonian period some 380 million years ago.
Chambered cairns represent a distinctive form of collective burial architecture constructed during the Neolithic period, typically between 4000 and 3000 BC. These monuments were built to serve communities across multiple generations, with internal stone chambers designed to contain the cremated or inhumed remains of the deceased. The Stroma example reflects the building traditions of Neolithic peoples occupying Scotland's northern seaboard.
The cairn is afforded statutory protection as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM488, recognising its significance as an archaeological resource and heritage asset. The exposed location on Stroma, surrounded by the turbulent waters of the Pentland Firth, would have presented considerable challenges to Neolithic communities constructing and maintaining this substantial stone structure.
Stroma Lighthouse,chambered cairn SW of,Island of Stroma is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM488. View the official record →
Stroma Lighthouse, chambered cairn is a Neolithic funerary monument situated on the Island of Stroma in Caithness, north-eastern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM488.
Stroma Lighthouse,chambered cairn SW of,Island of Stroma dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn sw of,island of stroma. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stroma Lighthouse,chambered cairn SW of,Island of Stroma 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 SM488.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn Hill, burnt mound near head of Castle Geo, Stroma (2.3 km), Castle Mestag, fortified sea-stack, Stroma (3.1 km), Girnieclett, mound 300m ESE of Mell Head, Stroma (3.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stroma Lighthouse,chambered cairn SW of,Island of Stroma'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.
Stroma Lighthouse,chambered cairn SW of,Island of Stroma stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.