Killin Stone Circle (or Kinnell Stone Circle) is a prehistoric
stone circle
A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...
situated at the west end of
Loch Tay
Loch Tay () is a freshwater loch in the central Scottish Highlands, highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Stirling Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, council areas, the largest body of fresh water in ...
near the village of
Killin
Killin (; ) is a village in Perthshire in the central Highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village and sits within the Loch Lomond ...
,
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
.
Location
The stone circle is located about 0.5 miles east of
Killin
Killin (; ) is a village in Perthshire in the central Highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village and sits within the Loch Lomond ...
, at the western end of
Loch Tay
Loch Tay () is a freshwater loch in the central Scottish Highlands, highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Stirling Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, council areas, the largest body of fresh water in ...
().
It is situated in a pasture field immediately southwest of Kinnell House.
Description
The stone circle consists of six upright slabs, ranging in height from around 1.4 metres to 1.9 metres.
The stones form a flattened circle with a diameter of around 10 metres.
The stones are of dark grey
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
.
The two tallest stones lie next to each other on the southwest quadrant.
On the top of the northernmost stone there are three
cupmarks.
The stone circle is one of the more westerly examples of a large number of stone circles to be found in central Scotland,
many of which consist of six stones.
The good condition of this particular stone circle may be due to its position in the grounds of Kinnell House, and it may have been 'restored' in the 18th or 19th century.
See also
*
Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany
*
List of stone circles
References
{{reflist
Archaeological sites in Stirling (council area)
Stone circles in Stirling (council area)
Scheduled monuments in Stirling