EHG5819 - Watching brief - housing development, Site F, Slackbuie

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by AOC Archaeology Group in 2022 at Site F, Slackbuie, Inverness as part of a planning condition for the erection of 49 residential units. The development area lay in an open area of grassland located approximately 110m southeast of 1 Earls Gate, Inverness. The site was bordered by a copse of trees to the southwest, existing residential housing to the north and west, and an existing track to the east. The site lay within a wider known area of mid to late Bronze age activity. A total of nine features were uncovered, including two ditch features, five firepits, along with two pits of unknown function. The presence of multiple fire pit features related to probable Iron Age activity, based on dating evidence from one pit. The two ditch features identified were considered likely to represent large-scale land management set amongst early medieval activity. The results from the archaeological work undertaken at Slackbuie further enhances the location of Iron Age and Medieval activities within the area. <1>