heart of neolithic orkney

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1999. The Site is composed of the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness, the Barnhouse Stone, the Watchstone, the Ring of Brodgar and associated funerary monuments and stone settings, and Skara Brae settlement. The ICOMOS report to the World Heritage Committee recommending the Site’s inscription described it as follows:


“The four monuments that make up the Neolithic Heart of Orkney are unquestionably among the most important Neolithic sites in western Europe. They provide exceptional evidence of the material and spiritual standards and beliefs and the social structures of this dynamic period of prehistory.”

“The group constitutes a major relict cultural landscape depicting graphically life five thousand years ago in this remote archipelago.”

“The monuments of Orkney, dating back to 3000–2000 BC, are outstanding testimony to the cultural achievements of the Neolithic peoples of northern Europe.”

The full text of the ICOMOS report, called the Advisory Body Evaluation, can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage website.

The Nomination Document, Management Plan and guidebooks provide more information about the Site. The Research Agenda (parts 1 - 7), can be found in our publications section in separate documents. You can purchase the guidebooks from our on-line shop.

Management of the site

The full extent of the Site is cared for by Historic Scotland, however, a number of other organisations are also involved in its wider management. Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Orkney Islands Council and the Orkney Archaeological Trust co-signed a ‘statement of intent’ in 2000 to safeguard the special values, qualities, authenticity and integrity of the Site. The full text of this statement is printed in the 2001 Management Plan.

When the Site was nominated, four separate draft Management Plans were submitted to the World Heritage Committee. These were revised into a single Plan in 2000 which went out to public consultation and was published the following year. The action points in this Plan covered the period December 1999 to March 2006 and it is undergoing a review in 2007–08. A Research Agenda for the Site was also published in 2005 with major input from Orkney College UHI. A ranger service, co-funded by Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, was also established in the same year.

Enquiries about the Site can be directed to the World Heritage Co-ordinator at hs.orkneywhs@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

For access arrangements see the ‘places to visit’ section for  Maeshowe, Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae.

To find out more about The Heart of Neolithic Orkney Ranger Service see the ‘ranger service’ section.