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Little Dunsinane is a broch situated approximately 1250 metres east of Balmalcolm in Perthshire, Scotland. Brochs are distinctive Iron Age stone towers, typically dating from around 100 BC to AD 100, and this monument stands as testimony to the defensive and domestic practices of Caledonian peoples during this period. The tower commands views across the local landscape from its position on ancient volcanic bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff of Devonian age, which provides substantial foundation stone for the structure.
The broch's construction exploits the natural geology of the site, with the Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks providing ready-made building material. These volcanic foundations would have been readily accessible to Iron Age builders, allowing them to raise a structure of considerable architectural sophistication. The tower's thick, hollow-walled construction is characteristic of northern Scottish brochs, designed to provide both structural strength and internal galleried passages.
Little Dunsinane is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7289. The broch remains an important archaeological resource for understanding Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive architecture in Perthshire, reflecting the strategic positioning and building capabilities of the communities who inhabited this region during the first centuries BC and AD.
Little Dunsinane, broch 1250m E of Balmalcolm is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7289. View the official record →
Little Dunsinane is a broch situated approximately 1250 metres east of Balmalcolm in Perthshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM7289.
Little Dunsinane, broch 1250m E of Balmalcolm dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch 1250m e of balmalcolm. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Little Dunsinane, broch 1250m E of Balmalcolm 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 SM7289.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kilspindie, unenclosed settlement N of Mill House (6.7 km), Evelick Castle (6.8 km), Pole Hill, hut-circle 240m SE of triangulation point (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Little Dunsinane, broch 1250m E of Balmalcolm'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.
Little Dunsinane, broch 1250m E of Balmalcolm stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.