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Knockglass Broch is an Iron Age broch situated in Caithness, northern Scotland. This circular stone tower represents a distinctive architectural form found only in Scotland, typically dating to the last three centuries before the Roman period. The broch stands on bedrock of Middle Devonian age, comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone—the familiar red and grey stones of the Old Red Sandstone sequence that underlie much of northern Scotland.
The monument's location in Caithness places it within a landscape particularly rich in broch remains, reflecting the concentration of these structures in the far north. Built without mortar, the broch's characteristic hollow-walled construction would have provided both defensive strength and structural efficiency, with internal galleries and chambers creating a multi-storey residence and stronghold for a local community.
Knockglass Broch is protected under Historic Environment Scotland designation SM561, ensuring its preservation for future research and public understanding. The site contributes to our knowledge of Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive architecture in the Scottish Highlands, where such structures dominated the settlement hierarchy during the final pre-Roman centuries.
Knockglass,broch E of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM561. View the official record →
Knockglass Broch is an Iron Age broch situated in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM561.
Knockglass,broch E of 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.
Knockglass,broch E of 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 SM561.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ballone,broch 360m NE of,Spittal (1.5 km), Dale Farm,broch 800m SE of (3.4 km), Halsary,standing stones 450m WNW of and 620m NW of (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Knockglass,broch E of'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.
Knockglass,broch E of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.