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Cairn of Elsay is a broch situated near Staxigoe in Caithness, dating to the Iron Age. This circular stone tower represents one of Scotland's most distinctive prehistoric structures, built to a design unique to the north and west of the country. The broch stands on bedrock of Middle Devonian sandstone interlaid with siltstone and marl, geology that provided the primary building material for its dry-stone construction. The local landscape of Caithness, with its exposed bedrock and sparse vegetation, would have been as formidable in the Iron Age as it is today.
The broch was designed as a fortified residence, with a hollow-walled circular structure that exploited the natural strength of its tapered form. The characteristic inturned entrance, gallery spaces within the wall thickness, and internal timber structures represent sophisticated architectural knowledge developed over centuries of construction tradition. Such structures served prominent families or communities, combining practical defence with demonstration of status and resources.
Cairn of Elsay is protected as a Scheduled Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM532, recognising its significance as a rare survival of Iron Age settlement architecture in the far north of mainland Scotland.
Cairn of Elsay, broch, Staxigoe is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM532. View the official record →
Cairn of Elsay is a broch situated near Staxigoe in Caithness, dating to the Iron Age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM532.
Cairn of Elsay, broch, Staxigoe dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch, staxigoe. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cairn of Elsay, broch, Staxigoe 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 SM532.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Pap,broch 350m E of Hillhead (1.2 km), Wick Airfield bomb stores, 315m and 400m SSE and 470m SE of Upper Ackergill (2.9 km), Castle Girnigoe and Castle Sinclair (3.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cairn of Elsay, broch, Staxigoe'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.
Cairn of Elsay, broch, Staxigoe stands on Middle Devonian sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is major:{sandstone}, Minor{siltstone,marl}.