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Olrig House is a broch situated approximately 900 metres north-east of Olrig in Caithness, northern Scotland. Built during the Iron Age, this circular stone tower represents a distinctive form of settlement architecture found only in Scotland, with the densest concentrations in the Highlands and Islands. The broch stands on bedrock of Middle Old Red Sandstone, a Devonian-age formation comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that characterises the geology of inland Caithness.
The monument's position on this mixed sedimentary geology reflects the practical constraints of Iron Age settlement in northern Scotland. The stone available locally would have been suitable for the broch's substantial drystone walls, which typically enclosed a central courtyard and featured internal galleries within the wall thickness. Such structures served multiple functions including defence, storage and domestic occupation.
Olrig House broch is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM572, recognising its significance as an Iron Age settlement and its contribution to understanding the sophisticated architectural traditions of Iron Age Scotland. The site remains an important archaeological resource for studying the settlement patterns and building practices of this period in the far north of Britain.
Olrig House,broch 900m NE of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM572. View the official record →
Olrig House is a broch situated approximately 900 metres north-east of Olrig in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM572.
Olrig House,broch 900m NE 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.
Olrig House,broch 900m NE 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 SM572.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of (4.4 km), Earney Hillock, chambered cairn 720m NE of Granton Mains, Bowermadden (4.8 km), Stemster, long cairn 790m NNW of Roadside (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Olrig House,broch 900m NE 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.
Olrig House,broch 900m NE of stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.