Baron's Cairn, Tullos Hill

The ridge which forms the skyline of the seaward-facing Tullos and Doonies Hills bears the remains of an important cairn cemetery of the bronze age. Four round cairns survive in varying conditions (the adjacent rubbish tip is gradually being landscaped).

Crab's Cairn (N] 963037) is well positioned with wide views to the sea; it has, however, sustained some damage and is incorporated into a field boundary. It is 14m in diameter and 1.7m high. 500m to the west, along the field boundary, lies Baron's Cairn (N] 957036) in a prominent skyline position on a knoll. It is 18m in diameter and 1.7m high and bears a trig point 800m to the south-west, along the ridge, is Cat Cairn (N] 951031); now somewhat altered, it was originally 22m by 19m and 2.5m high. A possible platform survives on the north and south.

These three cairns are intervisible; the fourth, Tullos Cairn (N] 959040), is not. It lies 425m down slope to the north-east from Baron's Cairn (head for the group of three tower blocks) on a whin- and heather-covered shelf with a view seaward to the north. This cairn of bare stones, 20m in diameter and 2.5m high, is still a considerable landscape feature.

Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Grampian’, (1986).

The ridge which forms the skyline of the seaward facing Tullos and Doonies Hills bears the remains of an important cairn cemetery of the bronze age. Four round cairns survive in varying conditions (the adjacent rubbish tip is gradually being landscaped).

Crab's Cairn (NJ 963037) is well positioned with wide views to the sea; it has, however, sustained some damage and is incorporated into a field boundary. It is 14m in diameter and 1.7m high. 500m to the west, along the field boundary, lies Baron's Cairn (NJ 957036) in a prominent skyline position on a knoll. It is 18m in diameter and 1.7m high and bears a trig point. 800m to the south- west, along the ridge, is Cat Cairn (NJ 951031); now somewhat altered, it was originally 22m by 19m and 2.5m high. A possible platform survives on the north and south.

These three cairns are intervisible; the fourth, Tullos Cairn (NJ 959040), is not. It lies 425m down slope to the north-east from Baron's Cairn (head for the group of three tower blocks) on a whin-and heather-covered shelf with a view seaward to the north. This cairn of bare stones, 20m in diameter and 2.5m high, is still a considerable landscape feature.

Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland’, (1996).

NJ 9559 0355 (centred on) The closure of the landfill site at Ness Farm and Tullos Hill required a programme of groundwork operations across several phases to ensure a safe closure. Phase I was undertaken between May and October 2009, and as the area is rich in archaeological features an archaeological monitoring scheme was operated on groundworks in areas beyond the boundaries of the known landfill excavations.

The monitoring encountered a total of 57 features, two of probable modern origin, three of probable landfill origin (1960s or 70s), 36 of which dated to the mid 20th century, 15 of post-medieval origin, and one unknown and probably natural feature. The 36 mid-20th-century features largely related to the known site of a WW2 Ack Ack Battery, later converted into a POW camp. This is known from personal accounts, OS mapping and aerial photography, as well as excavations on the adjacent site (Peterseat, DES 2001, 7). The closure works provided a rare opportunity to record this area, with known features surviving, and some previously unrecorded hut bases. In addition, many of the drainage and service features survived sub-surface. Where excavations were deep, up to 3m below the present ground surface, features relating to the Battery and Camp still survived, showing that the site was on a slope, and that despite more recent landfill operations, a strategic destruction and removal of the camp never occurred on this part of the site. Small features such as intact bolts and internal drain features were revealed.

The post-medieval features largely related to both known and newly discovered remains, and varied from known dry stone dykes to sub-surface field drains and plough marks, showing agricultural use and improvement of this outlying area. A small number of flint finds was also recovered during the operations, and may relate to known prehistoric use of the area, already signified by the number of cairns on the hill; these have remained unaltered by the closure works and have been fenced.

Archive: Aberdeen City Council

Funder: Aberdeen City Council

Cat Peters - Aberdeen City Council Archaeological Unit

NJ 950 030 (centred on) A programme of archaeological work was carried out, April 2012 – March 2013. The survey took place following gorse cutting, mitigation works following tree planting, and a watching brief during the formation of new paths.

Forty-nine new sites were recorded following gorse cutting. This represents a substantial increase in the known archaeological resource on Tullos Hill.

Following tree planting, 13 test pits were excavated within archaeological sites that had been affected by this operation. The extent of the work was limited by the size of the tree-planting pits. Test pitting revealed that one cairn site (Site 173) may contain structural stonework in the form of orthostats and one, possibly modern, site (Site 88) contained negative features.

Nine new sites were recorded during the path formation and additional information was forthcoming on eight others. Natural subsoil was rarely exposed.

A community excavation project, which was carried by a team of local volunteers led by CFA Archaeology, continued the excavation of a ring cairn and roundhouse.

NJ 9521 0323 A second quadrant of the ring cairn was excavated. The cairn was 8m in diameter and c0.5m high, with an open central area c3m in diameter. A large quantity of quartz chunks and pebbles had been incorporated into the make-up of the cairn. The central area contained a stone-lined pit whose fill contained fragments of cremated bone. Four tiny fragments of fired clay and five small lithic artefacts were recovered from topsoil. A 1938 5-Reichspfennig coin, recovered from the upper surfaces of the cairn, must relate to the nearby POW camp at Peterseat.

NJ 9510 0346 Excavation of the roundhouse revealed the heavily eroded outer wall and an internal ring ditch. Fifty pot sherds dating from the Middle Bronze Age and several worked lithics were recovered from the ring ditch.

Archive: Aberdeen City HER and RCAHMS

Funder: Aberdeen City Council

Ian Suddaby and Tim Neighbour, CFA Archaeology Ltd, 2013

(Source: DES)

Archaeological fieldwork was undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd (CFA) between April 2012 and March 2013 at Tullos Hill.

Due to a woodland planting scheme, clearance of dense vegetation and creation of a path network, archaeological work was undertaken. Field survey and test pitting of selected sites where damage has occurred to assess the severity of damage and 49 new sites were discovered.

A large number of cairns, possible bomb craters and a possible cist were recorded

Information from OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-144941 (I Suddaby) 2013