Site Event/Activity record EWE343 - Watching Brief - Water Main Renewal, RCI, Port of Ness DMA, Isle of Lewis

A programme of archaeological monitoring was carried out during groundworks for a water pipeline renewal at Port of Ness, Isle of Lewis. The pipeline route comprised c.14km of upgrades around the townships of Eòropaidh, Coig Peighinnean, Cnoc Ard, Lìonal, Eorodal, Adabroc, Tàbost, Suainebost and Nis. A previous desk-based assessment and walkover survey had identified several upstanding heritage assets in close proximity to the route, as well as high potential for buried prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval features and artefacts to survive. Fieldwork was carried out intermittently between February 2025 and March 2026 during which archaeological monitoring was undertaken over six areas of high archaeological potential. The archaeological monitoring encountered a small number of very truncated, possible archaeological pit features and a buried soil horizon at Eòropaidh. Due to the heavy truncation of the pit features and the narrow confines of the trench, a clear interpretation for these features was not possible. Such features could be remnants of either prehistoric or post-medieval occupation or agricultural practices. A saddle quern fragment with associated rubbing stone were recovered from the Cnoc Ard area and a number of unstratified small finds, predominantly stray finds from the post-medieval or later periods, were also recovered.