FOGS - new research at Tomnaverie

new research at Tomnaverie

Friends of Grampian Stones visits the restoration of a recumbent stone circle at Tomnaverie, Tarland;

photographs courtesy of Peter Donaldson; text by Marian Youngblood

THE SETTING:

Tomnaverie recumbent stone circle NJ486 034 stands on a mound outside the west Aberdeenshire village

of Tarland with a spectacular vista of the snow-covered mountain of Lochnagar to the west. During 19th

and early 20th century, the granite tor on which the circle rests was consistently eaten away in quarry

workings, providing stone for houses in the main street and Victorian marketplace. Eventually the two

flankers which stood on either side of the recumbent stone were removed in case they toppled into the

quarry below.

Lochnagar is one of Aberdeenshire's most romantic but dangerous landmarks. Its snowclad slopes whipped

up by sudden winds have caused death to the unwary. Snow sometimes lies in the corries of Lochnagar

right through the summer. Snow lies there now at time of writing, June 2000, when all others have forgotten

the rigours of winter. Old shepherds and drovers would talk about the snow in its ravines as a spirit with a

personality all its own: The 'White Dog' was known to herd the sheep down to the sheils [enclosures] more

naturally and speedily than a Shetland collie under the shepherd's direction.

When a solitary ewe escaped rounding up during the drive into winter quarters, the shepherd would remark:

'the White Dog will bring her in.'

A team of archaeological diggers, planners and artists from the University of Reading, led by Richard Bradley,

have spent two summers investigating Tomnaverie, restoring the missing flankers and charting the layout of the

central cairn of stones within the circle.

BEFORE:

Tomnaverie stone circle, with missing flankers, as it has lain for over 100 years

Dishevelled, scattered stone littered the top of the tor where Tomnaverie stood for the last 4500 years. Its

flankers were removed when Victorian quarrying below threatened the site, leaving the circle bereft of all

but a stunning view to the west.

Following an investigation by a team from the University of Reading, the tall flanking monoliths to either side

of the recumbent stone have been restored, while ongoing excavations examine the paved interior.

Note in the next image how perilously close to the edge of the quarry the circle stands.

Fill material, manpower and diggers, movers and other equipment are being provided by a very generous

donation from the MacRobert Trust whose land encompasses Tarland. Funding and materials from the

Trust's administrative arm will help to restore the sunken gully to a level platform, not only giving it its natural

and original appearance, but providing a safer access for future visitors to this remote western outpost of

Aberdeenshire's recumbent circle tradition.

DURING:

Tomnaverie recumbent stone circle, Tarland Aberdeenshire during restoration

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