October 12, 2015

This dry stone tower, also known as a broch, is a type of structure unique to the late Iron Age in Scotland, coinciding roughly with the Roman occupation of Britain. Dun Carloway (Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) was likely built around the 1st c BCE and remained in some form of use up until the 1600s when it was destroyed by fire during a cattle raiding dispute between the Morrisons and MacAuleys. Despite this, it remains in an unusually good state of preservation compared to other similar structures.

It originally contained at least one floor above ground level, a north-west facing entrance flanked by a “guard cell”, as well as evidence of other chambers. However, the most unique feature of the broch is its double-walled construction in which a gap is left between the walls leaving space for cool storage, sheltering of small livestock, and the staircase which accesses the upper level(s). The design is both clever and oddly satisfying to look at.