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Thurdistoft Broch, located 275 metres south-south-west of Castletown in Caithness, is an Iron Age broch of substantial archaeological significance. The monument stands protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM590. Brochs represent a distinctive form of Scottish roundhouse architecture confined largely to the north and west, and their construction typically dates to the latter centuries of the first millennium BC. Their imposing hollow-walled design and elevated height made them commanding structures within the Iron Age landscape.
The broch occupies ground underlain by Middle Old Red Sandstone bedrock formed during the Middle Devonian period. The local geology comprises conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, materials that would have influenced both the broch's construction and the character of its immediate environs. Caithness, situated at Scotland's north-eastern extremity, represents a peripheral yet thriving zone of broch settlement, with several such monuments surviving in the region.
The monument's survival to the present day, despite the weathering effects of northern Scottish climate and landscape processes over two millennia, testifies to the robustness of broch architecture. Its protected status recognises the importance of such structures for understanding Iron Age settlement patterns, social organisation and building technology in northern Britain.
Thurdistoft,broch 275m SSW of,Castletown is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM590. View the official record →
Thurdistoft Broch, located 275 metres south-south-west of Castletown in Caithness, is an Iron Age broch of substantial archaeological significance. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM590.
Thurdistoft,broch 275m SSW of,Castletown dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a broch 275m ssw of,castletown. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Thurdistoft,broch 275m SSW of,Castletown 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 SM590.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ring Hillock, cairn 280m S of Breezy Brae (1.6 km), Earney Hillock, chambered cairn 720m NE of Granton Mains, Bowermadden (3.6 km), Stemster Hill, chambered cairn 1180m ENE of (5.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Thurdistoft,broch 275m SSW of,Castletown'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.
Thurdistoft,broch 275m SSW of,Castletown stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.