Swandro-Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust

About

The Trust was formed in November 2016 to respond to the destruction of Orkney’s archaeological sites by the sea. Orkney is a group of 70 islands with a landmass of only 975 square km but over 980 km of coastline, with many archaeological sites situated on the foreshore and subject to ongoing coastal erosion. Global warming, the effects of climate change and melting polar ice are promoting higher sea levels and changing weather systems with increased storminess, which is exacerbating an existing problem. The Trust's priority project is the ongoing excavation at the Knowe of Swandro, Rousay, a possible Neolithic chambered tomb and a large settlement occupied from around 1000BC to AD1200. The Trust responds to emergency situations which arise due to coastal erosion, for example in recent years we have funded work at Cata Sands in Sanday, where a Bronze Age/Neolithic settlement was revealed by the erosion of a dune system.

Where we work