Coping with the storms that hit Orkney at the end of October was hard for many local people as the subsequent flooding, the worst in over 40 years, affected homes and businesses greatly.

However, for Historic Scotland stewards at Maeshowe there was a silver lining to the clouds, as they were able to gain real insight into what this Neolithic chambered tomb may have looked like some 5,000 years ago, with the flooding creating a stunning effect.

Alan Jones, Historic Scotland manager at Maeshowe said: ”Once the wind and rain had settled, I immediately had to capture what I was seeing! The ditch surrounding Maeshowe was filled to the top with water, isolating the chambered tomb in the centre.

”Some archaeologists believe that 5,000 years ago, the temperature in the north was 3 degrees warmer, and if they are correct, then the climate would have been wetter.

One theory is that the ditch or henge may have intentionally been filled with water to isolate the world of the living from that of the dead. If this was the case, thanks to the storms we caught a real glimpse of the site as the pre-historic settlers would have intended, which is truly fascinating.”

Maeshowe comprises a late Neolithic chambered tomb and is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage site.

The mound, chamber and surrounding bank and ditch were probably built around 3000BC. Said to be the finest Neolithic building in Europe, the tomb is famously aligned with the setting of the winter sun, and contains an exceptional collection of later Norse runic inscriptions, as well as Neolithic carvings.