EHG5795 - Trial trenching - proposed HVDC switching station, Staxigoe, Noss Head

An archaeological trial trenching evaluation was undertaken by ORCA in 2020 at Noss Head near Wick, Caithness prior to the construction of an electrical switching station. A total of 137 trenches were excavated across the site, with some targeting anomalies identified in a previous geophysical survey (see EHG5718) and the remainder being randomly positioned to allow for representative coverage. It was previously considered that the identified geophysical anomalies could relate to a number of features associated with: Black Brig (a farmstead first marked on General Roy's map of 1740), WWII enemy aircraft obstacles (also visible on contemporary aerial photographs), and other features associated with post-medieval/ modern agriculture. Other anomalies were identified as potentially being archaeological but their origin was unclear. The evaluation revealed no significant structural remains associated with the former farmstead of 'Black Brig'. It is likely that, if ever present here, it has been demolished and levelled, however a number of pits/ditches, levelling deposits and drainage features were located in its inferred vicinity which may be associated. The WWII aircraft obstacles were found to comprise of shallow ditches but with no trace of any upstanding remains. Other archaeology recorded comprised; rig and furrow cultivation, field drains and a number of pits/ditches (perhaps associated with drainage, former boundaries, land divisions or trackways). <1>