Orkney - Skara Brae

In the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Orkney, causing widespread damage.  In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth and grass from a large irregular knoll known as "Skerrabra".  After the storm had cleared, it had revealed a number of small stone houses without roofs.  This would turn out to be the remains of a Neolithic settlement dating from 3180 BC to 2500 BC.  The site was initially excavated by the local laird, William Watt, but after four houses were uncovered, the work was abandoned in 1868.  The site wasn't professionally examined until the 1920s.  Eventually eight prehistoric houses were excavated, connected by low covered passageways. Seven of the houses have stone dressers, beds and seats. The eighth building is divided into small areas and may have been used as a workshop, as fragments of antler and bone were found in it. 

Having seen Skara Brae featured on many documentaries, it was top of my Orkney 'to do' list.  It is a fascinating place to visit, but tricky to get the best out of photographically.  The colour pallet was all greens, yellows and greys.  Plus the sky was pretty overcast.  So I thought, 'what would Ian do' and turned everything mono, with as much 'clarity' or 'structure' as I could get away with.  The single colour image is from inside a modern replica of one of the huts.