Howe of Hoxa

Also known as:
Haugaheidr and How of Hangseid
Nearest town:
Kirkwall (17km N)
OS reference:
ND425940
OS sheet:
7
Latitude:
58° 49' 47.4 N
Longitude:
2° 59' 45.75 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Howe of Hoxa (Broch) by wideford

RH interior with entrance seen from top of hill looking in

Image credit: wideford
wideford
wideford Mar 31, 2017
Image of Howe of Hoxa (Broch) by wideford

staircase and projections for upper floor viewed from inside

Image credit: wideford
wideford
wideford Mar 31, 2017

Articles

Howe of Hoxa

wideford
wideford Mar 18, 2004

I had forgotten about this broch till I just this moment came across the prints. To paraphrase it’s one of the ruins that Petrie buggered about a bit. It stands quite well behind Hoxa but this wall is his reconstruction. Would have been nice to go inside the wall but the interior was completely taken over by very tall nettles, so went further along the road got into a field and proceeded up the long ramp of a mound that approaches the broch from behind. From the ‘hilltop’ there you look directly into the structure. Lovely it is.

Stone avenues between here and the Little Howe settlement at the coast are only the product of field clearances. RCAHMS NMRS number ND49SW 1 also reports that indications of structures about it are rather later. If so why does the mound lead up to the broch instead of more generally about it? I remember that Mine Howe is said to have been reached via one of the other mounds – perhaps it wasn’t simply a case of this being the only dry route at the time.

Sites within 20km of Howe of Hoxa

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.