Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBorwick,Brough of,broch
Iron Age · Brough of,broch

Borwick,Brough of,broch

Scotland
HES SM1418
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Brough of,broch
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

The Brough of Borwick is an Iron Age broch situated in Orkney, Scotland. This circular stone tower, characteristic of broch architecture found throughout northern Scotland, dates to the Iron Age period and represents the distinctive defensive or high-status residential structures that emerged in this region during the first millennium BCE. The site's location on the Orkney Islands places it within the important concentration of broch monuments that distinguish the northern Scottish archaeological landscape, reflecting the economic and social complexity of Iron Age communities in this area.

Borwick,Brough of,broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1418. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Borwick,Brough of,broch?

The Brough of Borwick is an Iron Age broch situated in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1418.

What period does Borwick,Brough of,broch date from?

Borwick,Brough of,broch dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a brough of,broch. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Borwick,Brough of,broch?

Borwick,Brough of,broch 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 SM1418.

What other scheduled monuments are near Borwick,Brough of,broch?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brough of Bigging, promontory fort, Yesnaby (1.2 km), East Bigging, burnt mound 390m S of (1.9 km), Billia Fiold, enclosures, platforms and banks (2.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Borwick,Brough of,broch

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Borwick,Brough of,broch's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Borwick,Brough of,broch

Borwick,Brough of,broch stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.