Edinburgh, United Kingdom
12th century
Bath, United Kingdom
Celtic
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Caernarfon, United Kingdom
1283
Conwy, United Kingdom
1283-1287
Conwy, United Kingdom
1283-1287
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
18th century
Harlech, United Kingdom
1282-1289
Beaumaris, United Kingdom
1295
Richmond, United Kingdom
18th century
Caernarfon, United Kingdom
1283-1292
Queensferry, United Kingdom
1882-1890
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.