Carlungie and Ardestie earthhouses

Carlungie and Ardestie earthhouses lie in farmland north of Monifieth and Carnoustie. They date from the late Iron Age, between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Both are souterrains, underground passages built for storage. The sites sit close to working farms, surrounded by fields and hedgerows. Archaeologists recognise them as rare survivals of this kind of structure in eastern Scotland. Finds inside show they were used for practical purposes long ago. The earthhouses were found in the 1940s and excavated soon after. F.T. Wainwright led the digs in 1949–50 at Ardestie and in 1950–51 at Carlungie. Wainwright argued they served as underground cow byres, keeping animals safe and warm. Other experts suggest grain storage or even ritual use. Ardestie’s walls still carry reused stones carved with Neolithic and Bronze Age cup-and-ring marks, linking the site to much earlier peoples. Visitors walk down into the cool, narrow passages of each earthhouse. The stone roofs curve overhead, supported by side walls of earth and masonry. Both sites are open to the public along grassy farm tracks. The surrounding fields stretch away, giving a sense of isolation despite nearby farms. Information boards explain what archaeologists found and how the sites may have been used. The earthhouses offer a quiet glimpse into Iron Age life on the Angus coast.