Sumburgh

Jarlshof was named by Walter Scott when he accompanied his friend Robert Stevenson on his visit to survey for lighthouse sites in the early 1800's. The only visible building was the ruin of Earl Patrick's Old House at Sumburgh which Walter Scott mentions in his book The Pirate, Jarlshof means Chief's House. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that a fierce storm ripped out the shoreline at the front of the ruin and exposed the hidden structures that had been buried for over a thousand years. Excavations took 50 years and were held up by both World Wars but eventually the true extent of the multi era settlement was uncovered.
The earliest building remains on the site date back approximately 4,500 years to the Neolithic period, next to which the Bronze Age round and aisled houses are situated. Following a clockwise direction you move round to the Iron Age wheelhouses, the broch and courtyard and later buildings constructed using stone from the derelict broch. Their are Pictish dwellings amongst the Iron Age buildings and then a large Viking settlement across the east side of the site. It is possible that all the structures were buried by sand by the time the vikings arrived who like everyone else built behind the sand dunes for protection from the prevailing south westerlies. I'm sure the amount of stone buried under the sand dunes would have been of great interest had it been discovered. The next farm to be built dates back to the Medieval Period and finally Earl Patrick Stewart built his Sumburgh residence at the end of the 16th century. This house is actually build across the top of the broch and probably other early houses still completely invisible.
The fact that it is possible to walk all round this site, in and out of the wheelhouses etc enables the visitor to get a real feel for the dimensions and space that the original inhabitants created.
This site must have been one of the most desirable places on Shetland for settlers. The south tip of the South Mainland has fertile soil, both the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea are easily accessible, Fair Isle is visible and accessible in good weather and there would have been plenty of protein based foods in the forms of seals, shellfish, fish, seabirds and their eggs.
No wonder everyone chose this spot, even the ones who were unaware of previous inhabitants, who transported the stones to build with unaware that there was plenty to go at right under their feet..