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Bow Castle is a broch situated approximately one kilometre east of the village of Bow in Midlothian, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock belonging to the Gala Group, a formation of wacke laid down during the Telychian period of the Silurian age. This durable greywacke stone would have provided ready material for the broch's construction, though the specific building techniques and timeline remain characteristic of Iron Age fortified domestic architecture in eastern Scotland.
Brochs are distinctive round towers, typically ranging from 12 to 15 metres in diameter, designed as defended residences for high-status families. Bow Castle exemplifies this architectural form, with its circular stone walls containing an internal hollow-wall structure that could be ascended by internal stairs. The monument's location on the Midlothian landscape reflects the typical pattern of broch settlement, occupying defensible positions across the eastern regions of Scotland.
The site is now protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM1162, ensuring the preservation of this important Iron Age structure. The broch remains a significant indicator of settlement patterns and domestic architecture during the later prehistoric period, contributing to understanding of how populations organised themselves and their defences in the Scottish lowlands during the first millennium before the Common Era.
Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1162. View the official record →
Bow Castle is a broch situated approximately one kilometre east of the village of Bow in Midlothian, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1162.
Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch 1000m e of bow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow 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 SM1162.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Torwoodlee Tower (4 km), Whytbank Tower, ancillary buildings and garden (4.6 km), Old Redhead, deserted settlement 15m NE of and 25m ESE of (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow'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.
Bow Castle,broch 1000m E of Bow stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.