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Wideford Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Orkney, Scotland. The monument consists of a stone burial structure characteristic of the Neolithic period, built upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone deposits dating to the Middle Devonian age. The local geology provided suitable stone for both the cairn's construction and the underlying foundation.
The chambered cairn represents an important mortuary tradition of Orkney's earliest farming communities, whose monumental tombs served as communal burial places for successive generations. Such structures typically contained internal stone-built chambers accessed by passage-ways, reflecting the architectural sophistication of Neolithic builders and their social organisation.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90315, recognising its archaeological significance and ensuring its preservation. Wideford Hill remains a substantial surviving example of Orkney's rich heritage of prehistoric stone monuments, contributing to our understanding of early settlement and ritual practices in the Northern Isles during the Neolithic period.
Wideford Hill,chambered cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90315. View the official record →
Wideford Hill is a Neolithic chambered cairn situated in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90315.
Wideford Hill,chambered cairn dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a chambered cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Wideford Hill,chambered cairn 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 SM90315.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Quanterness, chambered cairn and prehistoric house 50m NW of (1.2 km), Rennibister, souterrain (1.3 km), Ingashowe,broch 300m NE of,Finstown (2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Wideford Hill,chambered cairn'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.
Wideford Hill,chambered cairn stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.