Dun Troddan () is an

iron-age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progr ...

broch In archaeology, a broch is an British Iron Age, Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Brochs are round ...

located about southeast of the village of Kirkton,

Glenelg, Highland Glenelg (, also ''Gleann Eilg'') is a scattered community area and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Lochalsh area of Highland council area, Highland in western Scotland. The main village is called Kirkton of Glenelg and commonly ...

, in Scotland. It is one of the best-preserved brochs in Scotland.

Location

Dun Troddan () stands on a level rock platform north of the Abhainn a’ Ghlinne Bhig, in the lower reaches of Gleann Beag. It lies just north of the minor road leading south from Kirkton, Glenelg. It can be accessed via a steep path. The neighbouring broch of

Dun Telve Dun Telve () is an British Iron Age, iron-age broch located about southeast of Kirkton, the main village of the community of Glenelg, Highland, Glenelg, Inverness-shire in the Highland Region of Scotland. It is one of the best preserved brochs ...

lies to the west, whilst the "semi-broch" known as Dun Grugaig is around to the southeast.

History

The broches date from the Iron Age, approximately 2000 years ago.Lochalsh Tourist Guide
Glenelg Broch
accessed on 11 September 2024 Dun Troddan was first sketched in about 1720, when it was still an intact tower. It is thought that it was over high in 1720, and it was described as being "by far the most entire of any in that Country". It was robbed for stone in 1722 during the construction of

Bernera Barracks Bernera Barracks is in Glenelg, Highland, Glenelg in the Scottish Highlands, West Highlands of Scotland. The barracks were constructed between 1717 and 1723 as part of a campaign by the British government to subdue the local population which had r ...

in Glenelg. The broch was visited by

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (16 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall, near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales. As a naturalist he had ...

in 1772, and it was still a substantial structure, although it had lost the upper gallery by this time. It was cleared of "debris" without any supervision and consolidated by the

Office of Works The Office of Works was an organisation responsible for structures and exterior spaces, first established as part of the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it be ...

in the years between 1914 and 1920. The broch is now in the care of

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

Description

The broch consists of a drystone tower which measures around in diameter, and currently stands to a maximum height of . The external walls are thick at the base. The entrance is on the southwest side, and is now roofless. On the left side of the entrance passage is a small side-chamber, sometimes called a "guard cell". The broch has features now missing from Dun Telve; these include a number of postholes in the floor and a hearth. Built into the hearth is a broken

quern-stone A quern-stone is a stone tool for hand-grinding a wide variety of materials, especially for various types of grains. They are used in pairs. The lower stationary stone of early examples is called a ''saddle quern'', while the upper mobile st ...

. The central court is an almost perfect circle with a diameter of . An internal doorway in the remaining high part of the wall provides access to a stairway. From here it is possible to ascend nine stairs to a first floor landing. The landing is long, at a height of above the central court. At the end of the landing can be seen the first step which would have led up the next flight of stairs.

References

External links

Glenelg Brochs: Dun Telve And Dun Troddan
Historic Scotland {{Coord, 57.19466, -5.586708, display=title Archaeological sites in Highland (council area) Brochs Historic Environment Scotland properties in Highland Scheduled monuments in Highland