Explore Ancient Scotland - Dun Carloway Broch

Brochs Are Iron Age Hill Forts Built Over Two Thousand Years Ago

Aug 4, 2009

Dun Carloway Broch is situated on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. It is the finest example of stone age architecture in Scotland.

Some scholars believe that the brochs were built with military defense in mind, (the term 'broch' is derived from the Old Norse word for 'fort'. But there are almost as many theories as there are brochs. Another notion is that they were built by other tribes, perhaps immigrants migrating to the area who had new and different ideas about building.

Explore Scotland - More About Brochs

Apart from defence, there are suggestions that they were home to extended family groups involved in some kind of farming as there was accommodation for animals at ground floor level. They also had good storage space were able to store food for weeks, if not months. In the case of Dun Carloway Broch, there is evidence of several floors and the building would have had a conical roof which was made from straw. Also, there is radiocarbon dating evidence from remains found in the broch that show it was last occupied around 1300 AD.

Brochs were essentially tall timber roundhouses encased in stone shells and are some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture to be found anywhere.The ingenuity and skills of our ancient ancestors is extraordinary. They are entirely dry stone construction without any mortar used at all. Yet, anyone trying to scale their smooth walls would be disappointed; there’s hardly a crack anywhere in which to stick a knife blade, let alone get a finger grip.

Part of the wall of Dun Carloway Broch has collapsed and you can see the cross-section, showing the typical double-skinned wall where is now a clear view of its construction and galleries and staircases can still be seen.

This part of Scotland has an ancient history and has been inhabited since pre-history, yet there is no specific theory or evidence as to who these prehistoric architects were. It is thought that they were probably the homes of tribal leaders and important members of the community, but there are no records so we may never know. Whoever they were, they certainly knew what they were doing. The tallest part of Dun Carloway Broch is still standing at 22 feet high (6.7 m). How much of modern architecture will survive as long as two thousand years?

Brochs are amongst the most impressive pre Christian monuments in Britain and the Carloway Broch is one of the finest and best preserved of these Iron Age defensive structures. Situated on the west coast of Lewis, right on Europe’s Celtic fringe, it is a sobering reminder of the skills and sophistication these long gone tribes.

How to get there: This is a fairly remote part of Scotland is very short on public transport. Self-drive is the way to go. Dun Carloway Broch is reached from a minor road off the A858, there is a car park and a visitor's centre.

The copyright of the article Explore Ancient Scotland - Dun Carloway Broch in Historical Travel is owned by Cathy Smith. Permission to republish Explore Ancient Scotland - Dun Carloway Broch in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.