EHG6331 - Watching brief - new development and facilities, Scottack Farm, Castle Stuart

An archaeological watching brief and recording project was undertaken by Avon Archaeology (Highland) in 2024 during preliminary groundworks for the redevelopment of Scottack Farm, Castle Stuart, for a new golf administration and maintenance centre for Cabot Highlands LLP. The site was considered to have some unspecified archaeological potential, in particular relating to a substantial property with formal gardens attached that was depicted on Roy’s Military Map of c 1750. The project was designed to identify and record all significant archaeological deposits, features and finds revealed during the course of preliminary development ground works. The watching brief fieldwork monitored the periodic excavation of 12 trenches excavated for new drainage services, which revealed a uniform and simple sequence of modern deposits, concrete foundations and disturbed ground across the great majority of the development area. One trench (Tr12) revealed the buried remains of a buried cobbled yard surface and an underlying ditch or wall foundation, both of which were undated but most likely of later post medieval or modern origin. No significant archaeological deposits, features or finds were revealed during the course of the development works and no further archaeological mitigation was recommended. <1>