Scheduled MonumentsScotlandSnabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst
Iron Age · Broch, burnt mound and settlements, unst

Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst

Scotland
HES SM2083
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Broch, burnt mound and settlements, unst
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Snabrough is a Iron Age broch situated on the island of Unst in Shetland, Scotland. The monument comprises the broch tower itself alongside associated burnt mound features and settlement remains, representing a complex of activity spanning the Iron Age period. The broch, a distinctive circular stone tower form characteristic of northern Britain, would have served as a defended residence or stronghold for a local community. The burnt mound, consisting of fire-cracked stones accumulated through repeated heating and cooling cycles, indicates sustained domestic or industrial activity at the site, likely connected to food processing or water heating, whilst the surrounding settlement remains provide evidence of the broader Iron Age occupation and use of this Shetland location.

Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2083. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst?

Snabrough is a Iron Age broch situated on the island of Unst in Shetland, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2083.

What period does Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst date from?

Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch, burnt mound and settlements, unst. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst?

Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst 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 SM2083.

What other scheduled monuments are near Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Snarravoe, township and field system, Unst (0.8 km), Belmont, Norse house and field system ESE of, Unst (2 km), Hoga Ness, broch, Unst (2.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst

Snabrough, broch, burnt mound and settlements, Unst stands on Boundary Zone Complex, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is gneissose semipelite and gneissose psammite.