Pierowall Stone, Westray.

Pierowall, Westray

Tombs of the Isles - Pierowall, Westray
Type:Maeshowe-type.
Location:Map
Notes:Recognised as an archaeological site in 1981 when stripping for a quarry extension. Limited excavation showed that the mound comprised the ruins of domestic structures and middens of the first and second millennia BC, which had destroyed all but the lowest metre or so of an underlying cairn.

Nothing remains of the Neolithic structure today.

Three large decorated stones were recovered from the quarry dumps, the original position of two unknown, but the largest stone (found in two pieces) is thought to have been a lintel and probably marked the entrance passage.
Links:Canmore
References:Davidson, J. L. & Henshall, A. S. (1989). The Chambered Cairns of Orkney. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Sharples, N. M. (1985) Excavations at Pierowall Quarry, Westray, Orkney. In Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Volume 114.