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Green Hill is a broch situated near Roster in Caithness, northern Scotland. Built during the Iron Age, this circular stone tower exemplifies the distinctive architectural tradition of Atlantic Scotland, where such structures served as defensive or high-status residences. The broch stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a conglomerate and sandstone formation laid down during the Middle Devonian period, whose locally available stone provided the substantial masonry required for the tower's thick walls.
The monument occupies a commanding position in the Caithness landscape, a region where brochs cluster in particular density. The underlying geology—predominantly conglomerate and sandstone with interbedded siltstone and mudstone—would have offered quarryable stone suitable for the careful dry-stone construction these towers demanded. The site benefits from legal protection as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM552, safeguarding its archaeological integrity.
Though the specific construction date and occupational history of Green Hill broch remain subject to archaeological assessment, the monument represents a significant survival of Iron Age fortification architecture in the far north of Britain. Such structures typically contained internal chambers and galleries within their walls, though the current state of preservation at Green Hill requires assessment through fieldwork to determine what original features remain visible.
Green Hill,broch,Roster is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM552. View the official record →
Green Hill is a broch situated near Roster in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM552.
Green Hill,broch,Roster dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch,roster. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Green Hill,broch,Roster 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 SM552.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Achavar,broch NNW of Occumster Railway Station (2.9 km), Hill o'Many Stanes,stone rows (3.2 km), Greenhill, broch 60m NE of (3.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Green Hill,broch,Roster'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.
Green Hill,broch,Roster stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.