The Ness of Brodgar
The Pentland Stitches came together from across Thurso and Halkirk to stitch the story of the spectacular Ring of Brodgar at the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
This is their story.
On a site already rich in spectacular prehistoric monuments, the largest Neolithic building in Europe was found at Ness of Brodgar on Orkney.
On a thin sliver of land, an isthmus between Harray Loch and Stenness Loch, stood a low hummock known as the Ness of Brodgar. Ignored by the thousands of visitors to the Ring of Brodgar to the north and the huge Stones of Stenness to the south, it was thought to be a natural feature, a grass-covered glacial moraine.
In 1999, archaeologists surveyed the mound and after a careful, non-invasive geophysical survey, they discovered that it was in fact man-made. And under it there were wonders, structures and artefacts that would rewrite the history of prehistoric Scotland – and Western Europe. Massive walls were found. One was more than fourteen feet in height, and it will have presented a formidable barrier as it stretched right across the isthmus from the shore of one loch to the other.
The Ness of Brodgar panel.Image provided by Kirstie Campbell
Archaeologists have since found the remains of many buildings, and some were massive, raised on a scale never before seen. The largest structure so far discovered measured eighty feet by sixty-five feet and it has been described as a temple. With a pitched roof made from very thin flagstones, it was immensely impressive from the outside but it had a restricted, dark interior, enough room for only a small group of people. In 2010 the archaeologists made a startling discovery that changed the way we look at prehistoric structures. They came across a stone slab with traces of red, yellow and orange pigment on it. Others have been found since. Like Greek and Roman sculpture, which we are used to seeing in monochrome, these buildings were painted. If only individual stones were coloured red, green or yellow, a chequered effect would have been created.
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WITH THANKS TO THE PENTLAND STITCHERS
This panel was stitched by Angela, Meg, Carmel, Sara and Ruan who gave their time, skill and energy to completing a fantastic artwork for their area.
If you would like to see the panel up close and admire the detail of their work, please look out for the panel at an exhibition near you soon. To find out more, follow Inverness Castle Experience on Facebook for all the latest updates on the Tapestry of the Highlands and Islands and the new visitor experience in Inverness, open 2025.
