Rennibister Earth House

The basement of Rennibister on Mainland is one of the best preserved of the 41 existing on Orkney, also called Earth Houses, structures. Most are located in Mainland but also on Rousay, Eday Hoy and they are there.

Location

The basement of Rennibister between the village Finstown and the island's capital Kirkwall, protected by an iron gate, on a farm on the shore of a bay of the O'Firth. Built in the millennium before the Christian era building was discovered in 1926.

Description

The oval dry masonry chamber of 3.7 m length and 2.5 m width in which you can stand upright, has five side compartments and a Kragsteindecke, which is shortened by the run to four ( near-wall ) columns in its span. This structure is reminiscent of the so-called " Atlantic roundhouses ." Induction took place over a 70 by 70 cm wide passage which originally emanated from a wooden roundhouse, the above-ground part of the plant. Today is the start, which takes place over a vertical iron ladder, on top of the chamber.

Finds

The corridor was filled with waste. The chamber contained, besides earth and shells exkarnierten the bones of six adults and twelve children.

Other famous basement on Orkney are Grain Earth House Crantit, Newark and Wind Wick.