Conon Souterrain

Also known as:
Cairnconan, Cairnconon and Grange of Conon
Nearest town:
Arbroath (8km ESE)
OS reference:
NO573451
OS sheet:
54
Latitude:
56° 35' 44.99 N
Longitude:
2° 41' 43.65 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Articles

Conon Souterrain

nickbrand
nickbrand Nov 19, 2002
comment 0 Comments

This site lies in a field SW of a back road into Arbroath. Travel along the B961 which runs from the NE of Dundee until just before the hamlet of Cononsyth there is a crossroads. Take the road on the right towards Arbroath, and it's about 2/3 of a mile down here. Parking can be a bit awkward, but you'll see the site in the field – resembling nothing so much as a pile of overgrown rubble.

According to Canmore, air photography (21 May 2002) has recorded the soilmark of a possible souterrain here. There is certainly a pile of stones, laid up over what may be a large flat capping stone, with a similar smaller pile some thirty feet SW – possibly the other end of it. Certainly not a very exciting site!

Again, according to Canmore, the upper stone of a circular rotary quern, 52.5cm in diameter, was found in the field which lies to the S of that containing the souterrain, and is now in Dundee Museum.

comment 0 Comments

Conon Souterrain

W
woodhouse Nov 14, 2001
comment 0 Comments

Visited October 2001. This souterrain was discovered in 1859 when " Mr Lindsay of West Grange of Conon lifted a large stone in one of his fields and revealed a curious bee-hive chamber." It made the Dundee telegraph of 4th June 1859. A Mr Jervise made some limited excavations and drew a plan. There is a main passage of 54 feet long, the beehive chamber connects to it about 1/3 down the tunnel..and there is even a short side tunnel off this connection. 20 feet north of the tunnel was a large paved area and some 10 to 40 feet to the NW some six burial sites were found. Finds at the site included humanbones, coloured pebbles, coarse pots, pieces of Roman amphora, a bronze armlet, grind stones, perforated pieces of lead and some corroded iron implements. ( now in the national museum). Subsequent visitors were damaging the structure and the passages were filled in..but it was said to be possible to still enter the beehive chamber in 1951and enter 17 feet of tunnel.

When I visited -it was to see if there was anything left, I had no intention of entering. It is as marked on the OS map and very easy to find. The beehive chamber has had the slab put back on it and the chamber appears to be still open beneath. 20ft to the NW there is also another pile of stone, presumably covering the main tunnel.

This site is very likely to be in a good state of preservation..eventhough/ as a result of the original builders backfilling it. It is unique in NE scotland terms for a) the beehive chamber b) th proto- pict burials( if that is what they are and c) the large paved area.

It has a typical and wonderful location...gently rolling slope down to the Tay estuary..and on a good day a fantastic view to sea and way far south. The prospect of talking to the farmer and lifting off the capstone is amazing; but you would need a few folks to do it and this site is really a gem which as it is -is preserved but inaccessible. Lets hope it stays preserved in some form or other.

Woody.

PS I will try to post some picture in due course.

comment 0 Comments

Miscellaneous

Conon Souterrain
Souterrain
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Jun 23, 2023
comment 0 Comments

Cairnconan's Famous Pictish Dwelling. A summer evening ramble. (From a Correspondent).

[...] Cairnconan Hill is by far the highest point in the district. Looking backward from the top of the hill the sea, the steeple, the water tower, and the chimney stacks of Arbroath stand out against the horizon. The Law Hill, Parkhill, and Lunan Bay can easily be traced, and still further eastward we can trace Bolshan Hill and the braes of Rossie. From the top of the hill on a clear day portions of no fewer than five counties can be seen, the range extending as far as the Firth of Forth with the faint outline of the Lammermoor Hills in the far distance. From the same point the Grampian range of mountains seem but a short distance away, but the light is deceptive and in reality they are a long way off. Dark Lochnagar is far away dimly outlined against the northern skyline. [...]

The farmer of West Grange related an amusing story to us about the ancient dwelling place. Almost every year it is visited by many more or less interested visitors. The interior of the weem or house is concave, the stones overlapping each other. The entrance at the top is very narrow only allowing the entrance of a sparely built man, and the depth of the floor of the dwelling is about 8 feet from the door or opening.

One day a number of years ago a visitor of rather small stature rather imprudently ventured to descend into the cavity. When it came to the getting out he found to his consternation that it was quite impossible for him to reach the top. He howled himself hoarse, and might have stayed there for a long time as the "house" is seldom visited and is at a considerable distance from the roadway. However by means of piling up a quantity of loose stones that had fallen down into the interior of the dwelling place he managed to scramble out.

The moral of all this is – don't visit the "Pict's house" at Cairnconan unless accompanied by friends and don't venture into places that you do not see some way of getting out of.

Mr Garland also informed us that the "house" is now very much diminished in size from its original state. It was at one time connected with another chamber by a long narrow passage covered with flagstones, but this interior chamber is now filled up and is not open to visitors.

Arbroath Herald, 23rd July 1920.

comment 0 Comments

Sites within 20km of Conon Souterrain

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.