Prehistoric Roundhouse discovered at West Acres, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire

Between September and November 2002, AOC Archaeology Group carried out a desk-based assessment and archaeological evaluation of the 17ha West Acres development site at Newton Mearns, south of Glasgow. The evaluation was considered necessary by Mactaggart and Mickel Ltd because several putative prehistoric cairns were recorded to exist within the proposed development area and these needed to be evaluated prior to the submission of detailed planning applications for residential development.

The evaluation established that all of these supposed remains were entirely natural in origin. However, a previously unrecorded roundhouse was discovered during the evaluation and in November 2002 Mactaggart and Mickel Ltd commissioned AOC Archaeology Group to excavate the roundhouse and associated archaeological features in advance of the development.

The excavation revealed a ring-groove roundhouse, bounded on the south by a curvilinear palisade trench and on the north by another two curvilinear palisade trenches, one that preceded the roundhouse and the other that succeeded the roundhouse.

Click here to find out what the post-excavation analyses discovered.

AOC Excavation Director: Ronan Toolis
Client: Mactaggart & Mickel