Blackhammer

Nearest town:
Kirkwall (18km SE)
OS reference:
HY414276
OS sheets:
5, 6
Latitude:
59° 7' 53.08 N
Longitude:
3° 1' 26.42 W

Images

Image of Blackhammer (Cairn(s)) by wideford

looking from modern entrance onto cairn features opposite original entrance passage

Image credit: wideford
wideford
wideford Nov 29, 2012
Image of Blackhammer (Cairn(s)) by Moth

The tomb (just above centre) on its hillside, taken from the ferry

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Aug 28, 2004
Image of Blackhammer (Cairn(s)) by Moth

The modern entrance is above this rather bizarre window

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Aug 28, 2004
Image of Blackhammer (Cairn(s)) by Moth

What I assume are the ruins of the original entrance are below the current entrance, visible through a window

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Aug 28, 2004
Image of Blackhammer (Cairn(s)) by Moth

Ruins of original entrance(?) from the inside (behind the ladder into the chamber)

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Aug 28, 2004

Articles

Blackhammer

C
CARL Jul 11, 2012

Visited 5.6.12

A short distance west from Taversoe Tuick Chambered Cairn and also sign posted with a small parking area.

Another easy site to access.
Access into the chamber is through a metal sliding hatch and down a small metal ladder.

The remaining walls are about 1 metre high and there are 10 large stones standing.
The chamber is well lit but it lacks the atmosphere and quality of Taversoe Tuick.

There is however a large glass window which allows you to see how the retaining walls were constructed which is pretty good.

As with Taversoe, the views are wonderful.

This is one of those places that you feel you must visit but it is not one of the best of the Rousay sites. At least it is still here and deserves to be seen.

Blackhammer

Jane
Jane Jun 30, 2004

This one was my first real l-o-n-g stalled cairn. I had already seen Unstan and Taversoe Tuick which are both essentially round cairns with stalls, but Blackhammer was different. Like the others, it has been topped with concrete to protect it but the construction and its length is what wowed me. (I hadn’t yet seen Midhowe.) I paced it out at 12 1/2 ms!

Blackhammer

Martin
Martin Sep 8, 2001

Blackhammer Chambered Cairn, Rousay
Wednesday 14/8/96
Of all the sites we visited on the tour de Rousay today, I have to say that this one was the most disappointing. Of the original cairn there’s not much left and what is left is only about 4 foot high or so, then it’s concrete time! If you ignore the cairn remains you could be in some dreadful public lavatory. Not nice or sympathetic restoration.

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