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leaders.

Over time, these families dispersed across the region, settling in single, individual dwellings. More and more of the younger generations drifted away from the village, leaving only the elders behind. Finally, those who remained within Skara Brae's ancient walls grew older and died, leaving the village abandoned to time.

The ruins of Skara Brae were not rediscovered until a wild storm in 1850. The combination of Orkney's notorious winds and extremely high tides stripped grass from a large mound known then as Skerrabra, exposing stone walls which revealed the outline of a number of buildings.

The local laird, William Watt of Skaill, was curious and embarked on an excavation of the site. By 1868, after the remains of four ancient houses had been unearthed, work at Skerrabra was abandoned. Not until 1925, when another storm damaged some of the previously-excavated structures, did further exploration occur. During the construction of a sea-wall designed to preserve these remains, more ancient structures were discovered, and excavations continued until the 1930s, when the village as we know it today was complete.

There is now a Visitors Center and marked paths, along with descriptive plates and maps which help the visitor understand what he is seeing.

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