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The Hillock is a broch located 500 metres north-north-west of Ness of Ork in Orkney, Scotland. Brochs are distinctive Iron Age defensive towers, typically dating between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, built exclusively in Scotland. These circular stone structures, characterised by their hollow-walled construction and inward-facing galleries, represent a remarkable achievement in prehistoric engineering. The Hillock occupies a commanding position on Middle Devonian sandstone bedrock, which provides both the geological foundation and the primary building material for the broch's stone walls.
The monument sits within Orkney's landscape of weathered sandstone, siltstone and marl deposits, typical geology that has shaped human settlement patterns throughout the islands' prehistory. The choice of this location reflects the broch builder's understanding of their environment, with the elevated position offering defensive advantage and visual command of the surrounding terrain.
The Hillock is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM1447, recognising its significance as an Iron Age structure and its value to understanding Orkney's early occupation and social development.
The Hillock,broch 500m NNW of Ness of Ork is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1447. View the official record →
The Hillock is a broch located 500 metres north-north-west of Ness of Ork in Orkney, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1447.
The Hillock,broch 500m NNW of Ness of Ork dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch 500m nnw of ness of ork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The Hillock,broch 500m NNW of Ness of Ork 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 SM1447.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hillock of Burroughston,broch (1.5 km), Unyatuak,mound 180m W of Bonnyhill,Monquhanny (2.8 km), Linton, chapel & graveyard 140m ENE of, Shapinsay (3.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The Hillock,broch 500m NNW of Ness of Ork'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.
The Hillock,broch 500m NNW of Ness of Ork stands on Middle Devonian sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is major:{sandstone}, Minor{siltstone,marl}.