Steel Knowe

RCAHMS surveyed the round-ended building at Steel Knowe on 22 April 1991 at a scale of 1:250. The resultant plan was redrawn in ink and published at a scale of 1:500 (RCAHMS 1994f, Fig.11)

NT60NE 38.02 6543 0893

There are three round-ended buildings scattered over a distance of 250m along the terrace that runs along the E side of Jordan Sike. The NE end of the northernmost building is cut by the ditch of the Phase 3 boundary (NT60NE 38.01) and the enclosure attached to the southernmost is overlain by the bank of a stock enclosure. Assuming the buildings are of similar date, which is by no means certain, they pre-date the Phase 3 boundary and from their disposition probably pre-date Phase 1 (NT60NE 38.01), since two of them lie outside. From this it may be inferred that this is a phase of settlement that predates the system of boundaries.

The S building (NT 6541 0883) is remarkable for its length; it measures 26.5m from NE to SW by 3.6m transversely within a stony bank spread to 1.5m in thickness and 0.4m in height, and it is set into the slope on its SE side. A structure of two unequal compartments, the smaller SW end, 5m in length, is entered separately from the NW side. The larger NE end, has two sets of opposed entrances one in the middle of the building and the other with much wider entrances (about 2m in width) at the NE end. The location of the entrances suggests that the larger compartment is subdivided into two functional zones. An oval enclosure is attached to its S end which is cut by the bank of a stock enclosure and a gas pipeline.

Some 100m to the N (NT 6543 0893), the second building occupies level ground, but is heavily robbed on its NNE end; it measures 17m from NNE to SSW by 3.3m transversely within stony banks spread to 1.5m in thickness by 0.25m in height. About 20m to the NE there are the scrappy remains of a subrectangular enclosure, whose W side has been disturbed by the Phase 1 head-dyke (NT60NE38.01).

About 150m to the N (NT 6550 0906), the third building occupies the NW side of a small enclosure; the building measures 13m from NE to SW by 4.3m transversely within a stony bank spread to 1.5m in thickness and 0.3m in height. It is cut by a track at its WSW corner and its N end is clipped by the ditch of the Phase 3 head-dyke, revealing some facing-stones.

(ROX92 8,9,77)

Visited by RCAHMS (PJD), 22 April 1992.

Visibility: Upstanding building, which may not be intact.

Information from Scottish Borders Council