EHG5762 - Trial trenching - proposed housing development, Kirkhill

An archaeological trial trenching evaluation was undertaken by AOC Archaeology in 2021 of a green field site, at Kirkhill, Inverness, ahead of a proposed housing development. The subsequent development will comprise new housing, associated roads, services and a SUDS basin to the northeast of Newton Park, Kirkhill. The evaluation comprised the excavation of 41 trenches equal to 5752 m². Archaeological features were found in six trenches, including pits and small post holes. The features found in the western part of the site are thought to be of potentially prehistoric date, whereas the those across the eastern part are mostly natural, isolated or of unknown date. During the fieldwork a previously unknown cup-marked stone was recovered from the base of the ploughsoil, partially within the natural subsoil. The boulder contains a minimum of 16 cup-marks in a single panel and, on the basis of previous studies, potentially dates to the Bronze Age or Neolithic periods. <1> A watching brief at the site was subsequently carried out (see EHG5763).