Skye, Waternish, Hallin

NG 24780 59135 (centred on) An evaluation and subsequent watching brief were undertaken, August 2014 and May 2015, in advance of construction of a new house, access road and services at 8 Hallin Park. This included the dismantling of two superimposed buildings: a house and overlying building of unknown function.

The watching brief did not reveal any new archaeological features or structures, although a small area of midden, including industrial period ceramics, coal fragments and ash, was identified on the line of the new access track. The excavation and dismantling of Structure 8, including sub-structures 8a, 8b and 8c, produced a reasonably accurate ground plan and phasing of the various buildings and also provided good evidence for the dating of the site using the

wide range of small finds. Industrial period ceramics and some asbestos roof tile fragments, suggested building 8c was constructed at some point during the early to middle stages of the 20th century. This date appears to agree with evidence of the building shown on the OS map for the area. The earlier underlying house 8a and annexe 8b, constructed from stone and turf, consisted of a large building with an internal partition wall, with the smaller of the two rooms containing a well-laid cobble floor. A total of three hearth settings were identified within the floor plan of the building, but the small finds recovered, including numerous industrialperiod ceramic and glass sherds, suggest construction no earlier than the closing years of the 18th century, or even the

early stages of the 19th century.

Archive: National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE)

Funder: Sue Hart

Steven Birch – West Coast Archaeological Services

(Source: DES, Volume 16)

NG 24780 59135 (centred on) A desk-based assessment and walkover survey were carried out, 6–7 July 2014, in advance of construction of a new house, access road and services at 8 Hallin Park. The walkover survey recorded 19 archaeological sites relating to multiple phases of settlement, mostly postmedieval, on the site. There were three main phases of activity.

Phase 1 – Large houses with thick stone and turf walls and rounded ends. These structures now appear as wide banks with some stone showing including large orthostats.

Phase 2 – House and byre structures to the NW side of the croft. These structures have thick walls (but narrower than those in Phase 1), rounded corners and well-coursed walls.

Phase 3 – Stone/mortared buildings set within earlier house foundations. These structures appear to have had tin roofs, some had concrete bases and structural elements.

Report: Highland HER, OASIS and RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: S Hart

Mary Peteranna and Steven Birch – West Coast Archaeological Services

(Source: DES)