A grassy mound above Shapinsay’s rocky shore hides one of Orkney’s better-preserved brochs. Burroughston Broch (an Iron Age drystone round tower) is an Iron Age broch, a thick-walled drystone roundhouse tower, with an intact entrance-side chamber and visible interior fittings.
The broch was opened in the nineteenth century by estate workers under antiquarian direction. George Petrie recorded the structures, Sir Henry Dryden planned them, and the surviving plan still preserves details of the passage, guard room, gallery opening, well, outbuildings, ditch, and rampart.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
History
Burroughston Broch stands near the north-east corner of Shapinsay, overlooking the North Sea. The broch is about four miles from the ferry pier and lies above a low rocky shoreline.
It is one of the best-preserved brochs in Orkney according to the source pack. The drystone walls are up to four metres thick in places.
A complete chamber survives off the entrance passage. The entrance passage is on the east side and has an elongated guard room opening from its left side.
Inside the broch, the upper gallery face and traces of a gallery opening are still visible. A deep well is present in the floor, with dry-stone masonry above and rock-cut work below.
Traces of outbuildings, wall, ditch, and rampart survive around the structure. Estate workers of Colonel D. Balfour excavated the broch around 1862 under George Petrie’s direction.
Sir Henry Dryden made a plan of the structures. Reported finds included deer-horn fragments, ox and sheep bones, and stone vessels, including a possible triangular lamp.
People
-
George Petrie
antiquarian who directed and recorded the nineteenth-century excavation.
-
Sir Henry Dryden
made a plan of the broch structures.
-
Colonel D. Balfour
estate owner whose workers excavated the broch.
What to look for
-
Entrance chamber
A complete chamber survives off the entrance passage.
-
Floor well
A deep well cuts into the broch floor.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 59.0735°N · 2.8030°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
The source pack does not provide reliable current admission details; verify before travelling.
- The broch is about four miles from the ferry pier on Shapinsay and overlooks the North Sea.
Nearby places
Questions people ask
- What is Burroughston Broch?
- It is a well-preserved Iron Age broch on Shapinsay in Orkney.
- What survives inside?
- The pack notes a chamber off the entrance, upper-gallery traces, a well, and stone fittings.
- Who excavated it?
- Estate workers of Colonel D. Balfour excavated it around 1862 under George Petrie’s direction.
- What finds were reported?
- Petrie noted deer-horn fragments, ox and sheep bones, and stone vessels, including a possible triangular lamp.
Sources
- Wikipedia article
- Source pack: Burroughston Broch
Explore more: Fortified places · Iron Age · Orkney Islands
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