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Upper Cairn souterrain at Braebuster is an Iron Age underground stone structure built into Middle Devonian bedrock on the Orkney mainland. The underlying geology of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone determined both the excavation method and preservation of this monument. Souterrains—known locally as "Picts' houses"—are characteristic of Iron Age settlement in northern Scotland, serving purposes that likely combined storage, refuge and ritual functions within the broader settlement landscape.
The structure exploits the natural stratification of the Old Red Sandstone bedrock, which would have been workable with Iron Age tools yet stable enough to support stone-lined passages and chambers. The monument's position within Braebuster's archaeological terrain reflects the settlement patterns of Orkney's Iron Age communities, who adapted their building practices to local geology and environmental conditions.
Upper Cairn souterrain is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1437, recognising its archaeological significance and the insights it offers into Iron Age life in the northern isles. The site remains an important record of prehistoric engineering and domestic practice in Orkney.
Upper Cairn,souterrain,Braebuster is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1437. View the official record →
Upper Cairn souterrain at Braebuster is an Iron Age underground stone structure built into Middle Devonian bedrock on the Orkney mainland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1437.
Upper Cairn,souterrain,Braebuster dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a souterrain,braebuster. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Upper Cairn,souterrain,Braebuster 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 SM1437.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Slack, square barrow cemetery 360m S and 550m SE of, Braebuster, Hoy (1.2 km), Skerry Battery, coast battery (WW2) 460m NNE of Bu (1.7 km), Graemsay Battery, coast battery and camp (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Upper Cairn,souterrain,Braebuster'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.
Upper Cairn,souterrain,Braebuster stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.