There was nothing particularly unusual about that, but, on this occasion, the combination of wind and extremely high tides stripped the grass from a large mound, then known as "Skerrabra".This revealed the outline of a number of stone buildings - something that intrigued the local laird, William Watt, of Skaill, who embarked on an excavation of the site.In 1868, after the remains of four ancient houses had been unearthed, work at Skerrabra was abandoned. The settlement remained undisturbed until 1925, when another storm damaged some of the previously excavated structures.