Barnhouse, also called Barnhouse Settlement, is a Neolithic settlement located on the southwestern side of Loch of Harray on Mainland, one of Scotland's Orkney Islands. The settlement is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.
The settlement of Barnhouse dates from the period 3300-3100 BC. to 2800-2600 B.C. and was thus founded slightly earlier than the similar settlement of Skara Brae. Barnhouse fell into disuse some 450 years before the creation of Skara Brae. Evidence has been found that the buildings of the settlement were then destroyed.
The settlement of Barnhouse was discovered in 1984 and archaeologically surveyed by Colin Richards in the period 1985-1988. Barnhouse is named after the nearby farm of this name.
After the excavations, a small part of the settlement has been reconstructed in the form of a number of low walls that indicate the outlines of the buildings.
(Wikipedia)