Rennibister 'Earth House' Souterrain, Orkney

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Rennibister Souterrain, or 'Earth House', is a subterranean Iron Age structure situated on Mainland Orkney. Constructed likely in the 1st millennium BC, it consists of a sloping passage that leads to an oval chamber and would have been part of a larger settlement at one time. Storage may have been its primary use, but other functions could also have included ritual purposes. The closing deposit contained mixed remains of up to eighteen people, including twelve children, which is intriguing. Discovered in 1926 when the roof collapsed under the weight of a threshing machine, the underground chamber was excavated by the Orkney Archaeology Society, led by Hugh Marwick. It currently sits within the working farmyard of Rennibister Farm, with access to the chamber now available through its roof via a modern hatch and ladder. The site is under the care of HES. It's open to the public and free to visit. For information on visiting, see our website. Find out more about the history of Rennibister in the HES Archives.