Keiss Broch

Scotland
HES SM13623
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Keiss Broch is a Iron Age circular stone tower located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. The monument dates to the later Iron Age, likely constructed between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, and represents one of Scotland's distinctive broch structures characteristic of this period. The broch survives as a substantial ruined wall, though less complete than many comparable examples, and displays the typical hollow-walled construction technique that defines broch architecture. Its presence in Caithness reflects the distribution of these monumental structures across northern Scotland, where they served defensive or high-status residential functions during the later Iron Age period.

Keiss Broch is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13623. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Keiss Broch?

Keiss Broch is a Iron Age circular stone tower located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13623.

Who is responsible for protecting Keiss Broch?

Keiss 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 SM13623.

What other scheduled monuments are near Keiss Broch?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Whitegate Broch (0.2 km), Kirk Tofts,broch,Keiss (0.6 km), Keiss Castle,350m SSE of Square of Keiss (0.7 km).

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