EHG6315 - Watching brief - Holm Mills Road, Inverness

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Headland Archaeology in 2019 in order to support a planning application for the construction of residential housing at Holm Mills Road, Inverness. The overall development site comprised c.90ha of vacant scrubland and farmland. This had been subject to a trial trench evaluation in 2016 that had failed to find the presence of any archaeological remains within the development area (see EHG4847). Several archaeological features representing prehistoric activity in the area had, however, been recorded during the construction of the West Link Road immediately west of Ness-side (see EHG4823 & EHG4992). Subsequently, the topsoil strip of part of the area, designated Area B, was subject to an archaeological watching brief. This phase of the watching brief covered two areas of the whole development area amounting to approximately 16ha. This was stripped of all overlying topsoil deposits. In total, 21 pits and posthole features were recorded a the southeast end of the monitored area. Most of the features were undated, though several pits contained sherds of Neolithic pottery. The information gathered from this site, along with evidence from previous excavations nearby, suggested low level Neolithic/Bronze Age activity in this area. <1> NOTE: Full report still awaited as of 17/12/2024.