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The Great Britain Guide

Memorials & monuments · Scottish Islands

Vinquoy chambered cairn

Free admission

Vinquoy chambered cairn in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom.

Huntersquoy chambered cairn, Eday - geograph.org.uk - 224640

Lis Burke — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–45 min
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Vinquoy chambered cairn is a place of interest in Orkney + Shetland, United Kingdom — drawn from open-data sources for visitor reference. See the linked Wikipedia article for the full description.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Vinquoy chambered cairn (grid reference HY56013809) is a Neolithic chambered cairn located on the island of Eday in Orkney, Scotland. The tomb probably dates to the early third millennium BC, and is similar in design to Maeshowe Neolithic tomb found on Mainland Orkney. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1936.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The tomb was first excavated in 1857 by antiquarian James Farrer and landowner Robert Fraser Hebden, who dug into the chamber through the top of the mound. According to the 1878 journal of the Society of Antiquarians of Scotland, Hebden, who bought his Eday estate in 1850, "made considerable antiquarian researches over the island from time to time at his own expense; but although the property abounds in ancient tumuli, nothing of interest was discovered beyond a few flint flakes, some human skulls, and a sculptured stone which he presented to the Museum". The tomb most likely dates to the early third millennium BC, because of its similar design to Maeshowe Neolithic chambered tomb on…

Description

Vinquoy chambered cairn is a restored Maeshowe-type Neolithic tomb on the island of Eday in Orkney, Scotland. The monument was built on the highest point in the island, on Vinquoy Hill on the North side of Eday, overlooking Calf Sound. The tomb is around 18 m in diameter with a height of 3 m, and was constructed with red sandstone. It has a 5 m entrance passage leading to a central chamber with four small side-cells. The chambered cairn is partly below ground, carved into the hill. The central chamber originally had a corbelled roof. The site is open to the public and is part of the Eday Heritage Trail.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
59.2274, -2.7725
Postcode
KW17 2AB
Parliamentary constituency
Orkney and Shetland

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Vinquoy chambered cairn?
Vinquoy chambered cairn is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom (postcode KW17 2AB).
Is Vinquoy chambered cairn free to visit?
Yes, Vinquoy chambered cairn is free to enter.
How do I get to Vinquoy chambered cairn?
Drivers can navigate to postcode KW17 2AB. It sits within the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency.