Brigurd Point, Hunterston Sands
Harbour (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Brigurd Point, Hunterston Sands
Classification Harbour (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 40655
Site Number NS15SE 18
NGR NS 17730 52338
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/40655
- Council North Ayrshire
- Parish West Kilbride
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Cunninghame
- Former County Ayrshire
At the extreme tip of Brigurd Point, visible only at extreme low water, and never fully uncovered, are the foundations of a built harbour, 150ft wide and at least 180ft long. It is approached by a 10ft wide mole footing, and its walls are of like width, as is a low scarcement which runs round their inside edge. The inner end is hexagonal, and the bottom tighly cobbled, there and along the W. side. Were the walls horizontal in the original state, which seems unlikely, they would have reached an absolute maximum height of 10ft. The Admiralty Chart shows 2 1/2 fathoms over the spot at high water. This harbour is obviously of some antiquity and may have originally been Roman.
Visible on RAF AP's (58/2517/F22: 0029-30).
F Newall 1976; F Newall and W Lonie 1972
Owing to the state of the tides, it was not possible to inspect this site. Much of Brigurd Point has now been developed.
Visited by OS (JRL) 13 December 1982
Field Visit (20 September 2013)
A stone stone-built harbour lies at the very low water mark on Brigurd Point. Rectangular on plan but open to the sea on the SW, it measures 61m from NE to SW by at least 46m transversely over a ruinous wall constructed of large boulders but now standing no more than two courses high. The external corners of this wall are faceted and the outer, seaward, face on the NW appears to have been strengthened by incorporating large boulders and positioning them so that their flat, long sides faced outwards. Aerial photographs appear to indicate that there is a cleared area of sea-bed directly outside the mouth of the harbour.
This field visit was part of the SAMPHIRE partnership project between RCAHMS, Wessex Archaeology Coastal and Marine and The Crown Estate.
Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH) 20 September 2013.
Project (2013 - 2015)
Project SAMPHIRE was designed to bring professional marine archaeological expertise into local maritime communities. The central focus of the project was to record the unique knowledge of maritime cultural heritage sites on the seabed (and intertidal zone) that is held within local communities. This was done through a programme of face-to-face community engagement, allowing knowledge exchange in both directions. The reported sites were then investigated by the SAMPHIRE Project team with the maximum involvement of local community members at every level, including fieldwork and desk-based research. The project aimed to foster a wider understanding of and interest in local maritime heritage and to promote the stewardship of this valuable local resource.
