Dwarfie Stane. Plan & Cross Section

Dwarfie Stane. Plan & Cross Section

 

 

 

This monument lies at the bottom of an inhospitable, boggy valley on the island of Hoy, halfway along the glen to Rackwick Bay. The tomb was laboriously carved out of a block of red sandstone 8.6 metres long, Dwarfie Stane. Entrance and Side Cellbetween 4.4 and 3.9 metres across and at least 2 metres high. It lies roughly north-south and is tilted so that its north end is partly buried. The interior consists of a very short passage leading to two side cells with low sills—essentially a Bookan-type tomb. The entrance faces west and measures 0.85 x 0.75 metres. The entrance passage is a short one, less than one metre long and really only indicated by a change in elevation of the roof, which becomes higher at this point. Both cells have curving walls, the southern one is somewhat larger (1.5 x 0.9 x 0.8 metres) and has a small ledge at the back end.

Originally, the tomb was sealed by a large blocking stone, which now lies in front of the entrance but apparently was still in place in the 16th century. Its subsequent removal, which caused a good deal of damage to the entrance, is unrecorded and nothing is known as to what (if anything) was found within.

 

Dwarfie Stane (with Dwarfies)

Dwarfie Stane (with Dwarfies)