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Carn A' Chladha is a broch, a distinctive Iron Age circular stone tower, situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. Built upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Devonian period, this ancient defensive structure rises from landscape shaped by geological forces acting millions of years before its construction. The conglomerate and sandstone foundations would have provided ready sources of stone for the broch's dry-stone walls, fashioned into the characteristic double-skinned structure typical of such Iron Age fortifications.
Brochs represent a distinctive architectural form unique to Iron Age Scotland, serving as fortified residences for elite families between approximately the 5th and 1st centuries BC. Carn A' Chladha exemplifies this tradition in the remote northern landscape of Caithness, where such towers commanded views across the Pentland Firth. The monument's stone would have been quarried from the local Old Red Sandstone, the same material that underlies much of Caithness.
The broch is now protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduled monument reference SM13632, recognising its archaeological and historical significance as a surviving example of Iron Age settlement and social organisation in northern Britain.
Carn A' Chladha, broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13632. View the official record →
Carn A' Chladha is a broch, a distinctive Iron Age circular stone tower, situated in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13632.
Carn A' Chladha, broch 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.
Carn A' Chladha, 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 SM13632.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Scouthal Burn,chapel & The Clow (0.2 km), Bail A' Chairn, broch (0.7 km), Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE of (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Carn A' Chladha, broch'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.
Carn A' Chladha, broch stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.