Watching Brief

Date 19 December 2005

Event ID 927797

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/927797

A watching brief was conducted in December 2005 on the excavation of postholes for a security fence surrounding Balgarthno Stone Circle. No finds of antiquity were noted.

McManus Galleries commissioned SUAT Ltd to undertake an archaeological watching brief at Balgarthno Stone Circle, Dundee, on the excavation of post-holes related to the construction of a security fence around the monument. The work was centred upon NGR NO 3533 3161. The work (SUAT site code DD49) was undertaken on 19th December 2005 in good weather conditions. The requirement was to monitor the excavation of post-holes, to record soil depth and recover any artefacts.

The work was designed to satisfy the Scheduled Monument consent required for the works.

All excavations were archaeologically monitored for evidence of stratigraphy and for artefacts. In total 26 pits were excavated, with no major differences in stratigraphy noted. Two distinct layers were noted in 25 pits - a dark brown loam… approximately 150mm thick, which covered a dark brick-red degraded sandstone subsoil…

At the bottom of one pit… a field drain, aligned NNE-SSW, was noted. This appeared to have been cut into the subsoil, and was found at approximately 500mm depth. The backfill to the field drain… appeared to be identical in nature to the topsoil, although a separate number was assigned to it.

Information from Dundee SMR