Unearthed, 60ft long 2,000-year-old ‘fridge’
FROM obtaining planning permission to getting a reliable builder, the obstacles to constructing your own home are countless.
But spare a thought for fisherman Murdo Campbell, whose new four-bedroom home has been put on hold after the discovery of an Iron Age ‘fridge’.
The ancient 60ft-long larder was found underneath the plot where his new house was due to be built in the Outer Hebrides.
A digger driver unearthed the chamber as he cleared the land at Knockaird, Ness, on the Isle of Lewis.
He contacted local archaeologists Chris and Rachel Barrowman, who quickly identified it as an Iron Age souterrain, an underground structure.
Now building work has halted on the site while the find is recorded by experts.
Mrs Barrowman said theories on the purpose of the stone-lined, flat stone-roofed structures included that it was used to store food.
She said: ‘A couple of days ago we had a call from the digger driver.
‘He was clearing the land for the house and uncovered the structure.
‘At first he thought it was something modern but when he saw what it was he realised it was a lot older. It would have probably been used for food storage and maybe even peats. It was a sort of ancient fridge.
‘This souterrain was underground. It, and other evidence in and around Ness, show that the area was well populated 2,000 years ago.
‘The builder has chosen to stop so it can be recorded.’
Mr Barrowman said it was likely that, following a full examination and recording of the site, the souterrain would be filled in and covered over to preserve the archaeology and then the construction of the new home would continue as planned.
Western Isles Council’s archaeologist Kevin Murphy is also being called in to examine the structure for its significance.