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Whelphill is an unenclosed platform settlement located in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The site sits upon bedrock of the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen formations, Caradocian wacke deposits that underlie much of the local landscape. These indurated sedimentary rocks would have presented both challenges and opportunities to the settlement's occupants, offering stable ground for construction whilst demanding considerable effort for any excavation or quarrying.
The settlement belongs to a category of prehistoric occupation sites characterised by levelled platforms cut into hillsides or slopes, lacking the substantial ramparts or ditches of enclosed settlements. Such unenclosed platforms are particularly common in upland regions of Scotland and northern Britain, typically dating to the Bronze Age or Iron Age periods, though occupation sometimes extended into later periods.
The monument's survival and official protection reflect the importance of such sites in understanding settlement patterns and land use in Lanarkshire during prehistory. The specific topography and geology of Whelphill would have influenced how its inhabitants adapted their settlement layout to the natural terrain, making the site valuable for studying local adaptation to the Scottish landscape during ancient times.
Whelphill, unenclosed platform settlement 390m W of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4531. View the official record →
Whelphill is an unenclosed platform settlement located in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM4531.
Whelphill, unenclosed platform settlement 390m W of 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 SM4531.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bodsberry Hill to Little Clyde,Roman road (4.5 km), Little Clyde,Roman camp (4.7 km), Nap Hill, Roman signal station 900m SE of Little Clyde (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Whelphill, unenclosed platform settlement 390m W of'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.
Whelphill, unenclosed platform settlement 390m W of stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.