ANCIENT SHARA BRAE

A Stunning Neolithic Village

Skara Brae is a 5000-year-old Neolithic village. I quote from the brochure: In the winter of 1850 a wild storm stripped the grass from the high dune known as Skara Brae in the Bay of Skaill on Mainland, Orkney. An immense midden or refuse heap was uncovered. So too were the ruins of ancient dwellings. What came to light in that storm proved to be the best preserved Neolithic village in northern Europe. And it remains that today.

The village of Skara Brae was inhabited before the Egyptian pyramids were built, and flourished many centuries before construction began on Stonehenge. It is some 5000 years old.

But it is not its age alone that makes it so remarkable and so important. It is the degree to which it has been preserved.

The structures of this semi-subterranean village survive in impressive condition. And so, amazingly, does the furniture in the village houses. Nowhere else in northern Europe are we able to see such rich evidence of how our remote ancestors actually lived.

The profound importance of this remarkable site was given official recognition in 1999 when it was inscribed upon the World Heritage list as part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

The storm’s uncovering revealed the outline of a series of stone buildings that intrigued the local laird, William Watt of Skaill who began the excavation of the site. Eight dwellings are linked by low alley-ways. The walls of the huts were still standing and the alley-ways were roofed with their original stone slabs. Each house shares the same design---a large square room with a central fireplace, a bed on either side and a shelved dresser on the wall opposite the doorway.

We were able to look down into the structures and see the furniture, all of stone. A docent was at a site that exposed an underground drainage system for us to see! It is estimated 500-600 people lived in this village. No weapons were found, so it is assumed they were a peaceful people, but it is a complete mystery as to why they disappeared.

I got goose bumps to realize where we were and how many years ago life was here. What a fantastic site, and I swear I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

After viewing the site we continued on a fairly long walk to a 1620s farmhouse on the property. We toured the inside noting the beautiful 1624 wooden panel that came from St. Magnus Cathedral. Otherwise there was nothing of exceptional interest in the house.

This was a remarkable visit to this memorial site!

FUN ENGLISH FACTS

                              Some English Trivia

            Stadle stones, not  saddle, are mushroom shaped stones placed under a barn. They provide a sort of air circulation/ conditioning for the barn and  also keeps out water as well as any varmints that might want to get into the barn. Although the barn sits on them they are not the total support for the barn.

           

            In the 1700s windows were open wooden framed spaces in the walls that tended to be small and few in number. Being open left the home exposed in bad weather. When it rained a cloth covered the wooden frame over the window opening. The cloth was smeared with cooking fat, and perhaps this was the original storm window.

            The canal locks on the River Avon are only seven feet wide. All of the locks are manual, no mechanized ones. All  locks are operated by the same winch which is given to you when you rent the boat. It is rather strenuous work to open and close the locks.

   We boarded a manual winch ferry to cross the river. The ferry was different than any I’ve ever seen. A fellow stood and turned a wheel, which moved a chain, and somehow that propelled us the short distance across the river.

Not all churches had sanctuary knockers, but if they did and you reached it, you were automatically granted 37 days of sanctuary. After that you were on your own

          The Saxons were farmers, who developed fleece, laying the groundwork for the prosperity of medieval merchants, who in turn built the churches and alms houses, many of which are still occupied even though centuries old!

          A ceiling boss is an ornament, often of carved wood, but can be plaster, that overlays the joints of wood or plaster beams on decorative ceilings. They are most unique.

            Slaughter, in England refers to nothing bloody, but is a Saxon word meaning place of many pools.

      Ploughman’s lunch: traditionally the ploughman (plow) took his lunch to the field with him in the morning. It consisted of cheese and hard bread or roll. I’m not sure what the drink of the day was, probably ale. Ploughman sandwiches are still popular in many areas of England.

No place is Cornwall, England is more than 20 miles from the coast and the ocean.

Cornwall, England is the land of legendary shipwrecks, with over 3000 recorded along the rugged coastline.