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Founded: 1770-1780'sCategory: Palaces, manors and town halls in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)
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The manor, which was first mentioned in 1540, has changed hands a number of times. The two-storey Early-Classicist main building, established in the 1770-80s, was restored in the 1970s (now privately owned). A couple of kilometres away there is the family cemetery of the estate owners with a chapel.
Reference: Estonian Manors
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.