Scheduled MonumentsScotlandDun Flashader, broch, Skye
Iron Age · Broch, skye

Dun Flashader, broch, Skye

Scotland
HES SM911
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Broch, skye
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Dun Flashader is a broch situated in Inverness-shire on the Isle of Skye. Built during the Iron Age, this defensive circular tower represents a distinctive form of Scottish prehistory found almost exclusively in the north and west of Britain. The broch's stone walls were constructed with characteristic hollow chambers and narrow passages, engineered to provide maximum defensive strength with efficient use of labour and materials.

The monument stands on bedrock comprising unnamed extrusive rocks of Palaeogene age, formed from ancient mafic lava flows and tuffs. These volcanic formations, which underlie much of northern Skye, would have presented both opportunities and challenges to the broch's builders. The hard, fractured stone provided suitable material for construction, though quarrying and shaping such basaltic rock required considerable skill.

Dun Flashader is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM911, recognising its importance to understanding Iron Age settlement and defensive architecture in the Hebrides. The broch's position on Skye reflects the strategic significance of these islands during prehistory, when maritime routes and inter-island communication networks connected scattered communities across the Atlantic seaboard of northern Britain.

Dun Flashader, broch, Skye is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM911. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Dun Flashader, broch, Skye?

Dun Flashader is a broch situated in Inverness-shire on the Isle of Skye. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM911.

What period does Dun Flashader, broch, Skye date from?

Dun Flashader, broch, Skye dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch, skye. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Dun Flashader, broch, Skye?

Dun Flashader, broch, Skye 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 SM911.

What other scheduled monuments are near Dun Flashader, broch, Skye?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dun Suladale, broch 800m SW of Suladale (2.5 km), Caisteal Uisdein, tower and associated buildings, Isle of Skye (5.6 km), Barpannan,two chambered cairns,Vatten Duirinish (10.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Dun Flashader, broch, Skye

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dun Flashader, broch, Skye'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 Dun Flashader, broch, Skye

Dun Flashader, broch, Skye stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.