Mine Howe

Mine Howe is an Iron Age subterranean man-made chamber dug 6 meters deep inside a large mound [1]. It is located in the Tankerness area of Orkney, Scotland, about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney [1]. A flight of stone steps descend to a half-landing where they turn back on themselves and further steps descend to a chamber [1]. This chamber is only about 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) in diameter but is over four metres high with a corbelled roof [1]. The bottom step into this chamber is 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) high and gives it a cistern-like appearance [1]. At the half-landing two subsidiary chambers/passages open out, one above the other [1]. After the 1940s excavations were finished, Mine Howe was covered over and left untouched and nearly forgotten for almost 50 years [1].