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Borrowston broch is an Iron Age stone tower located in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period, a foundation of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that characterises much of the surrounding landscape. Brochs are distinctive Scottish roundhouses with hollow-walled construction, typically dating between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, and served as defended domestic settlements for elite families of the period.
The broch at Borrowston represents a significant survival of Iron Age architecture in one of Scotland's most northerly regions. These structures combined practical defence with status, their imposing circular towers visible across considerable distances. The local geology of mixed sedimentary rocks would have provided suitable building stone for the broch's distinctive walls, which originally stood considerably taller than their surviving remains today.
The site is now protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM527, ensuring its preservation as an important record of Iron Age settlement patterns and building practices in Caithness. The broch's survival contributes valuable evidence to our understanding of social organisation and domestic life in the Scottish Highlands during the first centuries of the Common Era.
Borrowston, broch 260m S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM527. View the official record →
Borrowston broch is an Iron Age stone tower located in Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM527.
Borrowston, broch 260m S of dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Borrowston, broch 260m S 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 SM527.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Watenan,fort 100m SSW of,Ulbster (2.7 km), Watenan,cairn & stone setting 400m W of,Ulbster (2.7 km), Cairn of Get, chambered cairn, cairns and cists (2.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Borrowston, broch 260m S 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.
Borrowston, broch 260m S of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.