Beta Help us improve: share your feedback on our new website.

View gallery

Squeeze your way into this intriguing survivor of the Iron Age and imagine what our ancestors might have used it for some 2,000 years ago.

Culsh Earth House is an example of a souterrain. It was built about 2,000 years ago. Despite its name, it was not a dwelling, but a stone-lined underground passage.

This earth house is especially remarkable because it survives in a very complete state. It's one of only a few souterrains in Scotland that can safely be accessed - so long as you are prepared to get on your hands and knees!

We don’t yet know exactly what the souterrain was used for. It may have been a hiding place or a storage space, or it may have had some ritual significance.

The interior of a small, narrow underground chamber lined with stones. The ceiling is very low meaning it must be accessed by crawling or crouching.
Four stone steps forming part of a path down a grassy mound. It passes a panel containing historical information before curving towards the entrance to an earth house.

Ready for an adventure?

Use a Membership or Explorer Pass to discover centuries of Scottish history and heritage, all while saving money and supporting our work.

Membership

Ideal for regular visitors and heritage supporters

Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events

Two adults, holding hands with two young children, walk through a graveyard, with historical stone ruins in the background. It is a sunny day.
  • Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events
  • Discount in our shops and cafés (on site and online)
  • Historic Scotland magazine delivered to your door
  • Free or discounted entry to sites in England, Wales and the Isle of Man

Explorer Pass

Perfect for short-term trips and sightseeing

Valid for 14 consecutive days

A family walking across a grassy lawn with the New Abbey Corn Mill building in the background.
  • Valid for 14 consecutive days
  • Entry to all ticketed sites, including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle
  • 20% discount on audio guides at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Glasgow Cathedral
  • Guaranteed entry when you pre-book online