Sheep Dyke
Sheep Dyke is a stone dike to Einpferchung the sheep on the Scottish Orkney island of North Ronaldsay . In 1999 the structure was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in the highest category A.
history
The North Ronaldsay sheep represent the traditional livestock on North Ronaldsay. Historically they grazed freely on the island. To protect the arable land, the island was surrounded with a stone wall in order to pen the sheep on the banks. There they should feed on seaweed . Probably the unemployed workers built the dike from the increasingly unprofitable kelp incineration (see also brown algae usage ) around the year 1832. The islanders were responsible for the maintenance in sections. In 2008 the structure was added to the register of endangered buildings in Scotland. His condition is classified as bad, but the risk is classified as low.
description
It is a dry stone wall up to two meters high that runs along the coastline of North Ronaldsay. With a length of around 21 km, it could be the longest connected drywall in the world. The facility also had a system of pens in which the sheep were herded together six times a year for various purposes.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ Entry on Sheep Dyke in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on buildingsatrisk.org.uk
Web links
- Entry on Sheep Dyke in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland's database
Coordinates: 59 ° 22 ′ 18.5 ″ N , 2 ° 24 ′ 55 ″ W.