Explore the historic highlights of Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
1730-1775
Bordeaux, France
1096
Bordeaux, France
1820
Bordeaux, France
1780
Bordeaux, France
1771-1784
Bordeaux, France
c. 1494
Bordeaux, France
1940
Bordeaux, France
1801
Bordeaux, France
14th century
Bordeaux, France
14th century
Bordeaux, France
1846
Bordeaux, France
11th century
Bordeaux, France
1963
Bordeaux, France
8th century AD
Bordeaux, France
18th century
Bordeaux, France
11th century
Bordeaux, France
1877
Bordeaux, France
1611-1620
Bordeaux, France
1451
Bordeaux, France
2nd century AD
Bordeaux, France
c. 1060
The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.
The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.