NB44SE 4 4938 4185 (NB 4938 4185) Earth House (NR) (site of) OS 1:10,000 map, (1974) This souterrain (published as 'Cave' on OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., 1898) under the lawn in front of Gress Lodge, was revealed by a collapse of roof. The entrance was on the beach just above high water mark, 38 yards from the house. A slightly curved passage, 2ft wide, led to a circular chamber, 9ft in diameter, whose roof of flags was supported by a central pillar of unmortared masonry. Just before reaching the chamber the passage had a recess of 2 1/2ft on each side. From this first chamber a narrow passage ran 40ft to 50ft NW towards Gress Lodge, to a second circular chamber. From this, a passage branched off to NE forming an angle of less than 90 with the entrance gallery and leading to a third circular chamber. The whole was filled with blown sand, but yielded shells, split animal bones, querns and (from the last chamber) a staghorn pick. It was covered with sand in 1914. P Liddel 1875; D MacRitchie 1917; RCAHMS 1928. When Dr Greig arrived in 1949 the site was marked by an area of sand and tufty grass. This has now been cleaned up and no remains of the souterrain are visible. Dr Greig has a photo of an etching made in 1874 and sent to him by the late Dr D Macdonald, showing an entrance in the cliff. The cliff is sandy and crumbling and the entrance cannot now be traced. Site confirmed on information from Dr Greig (J C R Greig, Gress Lodge). Visited by OS (A L F R) assistent archaeology officer, 20 April 1964. About thirty sherds of typical Iron Age 'wheelhouse' pottery, perhaps of the early centuries AD, were recovered from this site, presumably from the midden, by I Campbell, and were submitted to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS) for identification in 1976. The midden, sectioned and clearly stratified, is under threat of destruction by the sea, which has also exposed what appears from the photographs to be the entrance to the earth-house. Information contained in letter from I Campbell, 25 Coll, Back, Lewis to J Close-Brooks (NMAS) 2 March 1976 and from J Close-Brooks to OS 9 March 1976. Erosion of midden material in area of souterrain. Finds include antler, a bone tool and Iron Age pottery sherds. M MacRae 1983.