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Nether Banks is a broch situated 220 metres north-north-east of Nether Banks in Caithness, northern Scotland. Brochs are distinctive Iron Age stone towers, typically dating to between 100 BC and AD 100, and this example stands upon bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone formed during the Middle Devonian period. The underlying geology comprises conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, which would have provided suitable stone for construction, though the tower's builders may also have sourced materials from elsewhere on the moorland landscape of Caithness.
As a broch, Nether Banks would originally have consisted of a hollow-walled circular tower with an internal diameter of roughly seven to eight metres. The distinctive architectural features characteristic of brochs include a narrow staircase within the wall thickness and galleries at various levels, creating a structure suited to defence and settlement in the Iron Age. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Brochs are concentrated in northern and western Scotland, and their presence in Caithness reflects the region's settlement patterns during the Iron Age. The tower's survival on the exposed northern moorland, where the underlying Old Red Sandstone bedrock would have weathered and fractured naturally, provides evidence of Iron Age occupation and building techniques in this remote corner of prehistoric Scotland.
Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM609. View the official record →
Nether Banks is a broch situated 220 metres north-north-east of Nether Banks in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM609.
Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE 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.
Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE 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 SM609.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Green Hill Broch, 40m W of Grant Hall (1.5 km), Scouthal Burn,chapel & The Clow (1.8 km), Carn A' Chladha, broch (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE 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.
Nether Banks, broch 220m NNE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.