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Balavoulin is a dun situated 180 metres north-west of the settlement, in Perthshire. This Iron Age fortified homestead occupies ground underlain by metamorphic bedrock of the Argyll Group, Neoproterozoic psammite, semipelite and pelite, which would have presented significant challenges to construction. The dun represents a form of defended domestic settlement characteristic of northern Britain during the Iron Age, typically comprising a stone-built roundhouse enclosed within one or more defensive walls.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the reference SM2494. Such duns functioned as residences for families of elevated social status, their defensive architecture reflecting both practical security concerns and the hierarchical nature of Iron Age society. The strategic placement of Balavoulin within the Perthshire landscape would have afforded visibility across the surrounding terrain.
Few structural details of the dun survive in its present condition, but its position and form remain consistent with established patterns of Iron Age settlement in central Scotland. The site's survival to the present day, despite the weathering of its Neoproterozoic bedrock foundation, testifies to the substantial construction methods employed by its original builders.
Balavoulin, dun 180m NW of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2494. View the official record →
Balavoulin is a dun situated 180 metres north-west of the settlement, in Perthshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2494.
Balavoulin, dun 180m NW of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a dun. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Balavoulin, dun 180m NW of is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM2494.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bail' a' Chaisted, deserted settlement 750m W of Borenich (4.4 km), Clunie Wood, An Dun fort (6.3 km), Findynate Farm, standing stones 1200m NNW of (7.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Balavoulin, dun 180m NW of's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Balavoulin, dun 180m NW of stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.