Broch

Brochs are circular stone forts found in Scotland and the Scottish Isles of the Orkneys, the Inner Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides and the Shetland Islands.

There are approximately 570 Brochs in Scotland, the majority of which were built between 100 BCE and 100 CE.
The Brochs were lived in as homes and may have had a defensive role, although archeologists are not agreed on their purpose.

The Brochs are circular buildings made of a double lined dry stone wall with a gap between the walls which held Galleries.
The inner and outer walls are often linked by large stones, that sometimes form part of a spiral staircase that linked the Galleries and led to the roof.
Some surviving Brochs have walls with a height above 21 feet (6.5m).
The internal diameter varies from 16-50 feet (5-15 m), with the walls being 10 ft (3m) wide.
Access to the Broch was by a single doorway and it is thought that they had a timber roof.
Inside the Broch, there were buildings built against the inner wall.

Possibly the best preserved Broch in Scotland, it is located on the shore of the island of Mousa, in the Shetland Islands.

Broch of Mousa, Shetlands