Brigurd Point, Hunterston Sands

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 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.