EHG3667 - Watching Brief and Evaluation - Broadford Medical Centre, Strath, Skye

An archaeological evaluation including a watching brief and subsequent excavation was carried out at the site of the new Broadford Medical Centre at High Road, Broadford, Isle of Skye, in July and August 2011 by West Coast Archaeological Services. The area of the development site covered in excess of 6,300 square metres. An initial walkover survey had failed to find any features of archaeological interest, although two drystone walls running adjacent to High Road were photographed and surveyed. The ground was initially cleared by machine under archaeological supervision and the area was then hand-cleaned. The evaluation recovered a wide range of features including a possible cairn, a stone-lined grave/cist, grain storage pits, a grain-drying kiln and a souterrain. Additional prehistoric features included pits and post-holes and potential evidence for early forest clearance, while stone-filled field drains (only found in the northern part of the site) and a drystone wall bordering High Road relate to later agricultural improvements and the formal layout of the road leading to the MacKinnon Memorial Hospital. All of the major features were revealed in a distinct cluster towards the highest section of the gravel ridge running across the site. The excavation of the prehistoric features at the site produced organic residues, sediment samples and small finds including ceramics and stone tools. <1> A revised Data Structure Report was subsequently produced which includes the results from the post-excavation analysis along with radiocarbon dating results on samples submitted to the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre at East Kilbride. The stone-lined cist was radiocarbon dated to the Early Bronze Age, while the wide range of features relating to the processing of grain including drying and storage date to the Iron Age. A full synthesis of the results from the excavations at the Broadford Medical Centre site will be published in due course. <2>