Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn
Wideford Hill cairn
Early Neolithic·Orkney-Cromarty Neolithic·🇬🇧 Orkney, Mainland, Scotland, United Kingdom
About
About Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn
Triple-walled Orkney-Cromarty chambered cairn on steep west flank of Wideford Hill, 3 mi west of Kirkwall. Circular cairn ~13.7 m diameter with three concentric walls on earthen platform; 4.5 m entrance passage to 5.2 m long rectangular chamber divided into three compartments with corbelled roofing. Built c.3500 BCE, strikingly similar plan to Maeshowe but earlier and unexcavated until 1849, revealing no burials (perhaps cleared). Preserved masonry shows distinct construction phases.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why no human remains — ritual closure or looting?
- 02Three-wall construction sequence meaning
Theories
- 01Precursor to Maeshowe architectural tradition
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3500 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic
- Culture
- Orkney-Cromarty Neolithic
- Purpose
- Chambered burial cairn
- Abandoned
- Late Neolithic
- Rediscovered
- Opened 1849; restored by Historic Scotland
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1188 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
58.9919° N · 3.0300° W · 120 m · 2 mapped features
Tripartite chamber
chamber5.2 m long divided chamber with corbelling
58.9919° N · 3.0300° WEntrance passage
passageLow 4.5 m flagstone-lined passage facing west to Bay of Firth
58.9919° N · 3.0301° W
Gallery