Thick walls, internal chambers, stairwork and a well preserve the complex anatomy of a later prehistoric broch despite long-term deterioration.
Quick facts
- Date
- Later Iron Age; exact construction date unconfirmed
- Architect / designer
- Unknown
- Type
- Stone broch with mural chambers, stair and surrounding structures
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM1847)
- OS grid reference
- NC 92920 08058
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Older surveys describe an interior about 9.4 metres across within walls roughly 5.5 metres thick at the entrance. Door checks, a guard chamber, mural cells, thirteen surviving stair steps and a well occupy the tower fabric, while low outer structures spread beyond it.
Its story
The broch belongs to the later Iron Age building tradition of northern Scotland. Antiquarian recording preserved measurements and finds now associated with Dunrobin Museum. Later inspection noted deterioration, making older plans important but not a guarantee of the ruin's present appearance.
Why it is included
Scheduling recognises a substantial broch whose internal features and surrounding settlement can illuminate defended domestic life, architecture and material culture in later prehistoric Sutherland.
What to notice
- The great thickness of the entrance passage walls.
- Mural chambers and the surviving flight of steps.
- Low structures extending beyond the main tower.
Reading the surroundings
Do not climb the broch or enter unstable chambers. Confirm permission for any approach across working land, keep dogs under control and leave stones, vegetation and archaeological material undisturbed.
Timeline
- Later Iron Age A complex drystone tower and associated settlement occupied the site.
- Early 20th century Antiquarian inventories recorded measurements, chambers and finds.
- 1975 Field observation reported deterioration in the surviving structure.
- Present designation The broch and its archaeological setting remain nationally protected.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The online schedule is sparse and the measurements derive from older surveys; exact condition, safe approach and the date of the outer structures remain unresolved.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Cinn Trolla Broch, SM1847 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove: Cinn Trolla, Kintradwell — National-record measurements, field observations, finds context and alternative place name.
Location
OS grid reference NC 92920 08058 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; an additional source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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