Dun Troddan facts for kids
Dun Troddan
|
|
 Location in Highland
|
|
| Alternative name | Dùn Trodan |
|---|---|
| Location | Scottish Highlands |
| Coordinates | 57°11′41″N 5°35′12″W / 57.19466°N 5.586708°W |
| Type | Broch |
| History | |
| Periods | Iron Age |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Historic Scotland |
| Public access | Yes |
Dun Troddan (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Trodan) is an amazing ancient stone tower. It was built during the Iron Age in Scotland. You can find it about 5 kilometers (3 miles) southeast of the village of Glenelg, Highland. Dun Troddan is special because it is one of the best-preserved ancient towers, called brochs, in all of Scotland.
Where is Dun Troddan?
Dun Troddan stands on a flat rock area. It is located in a valley called Gleann Beag. The tower is just north of a small road that leads from Glenelg. You can reach it by following a steep path.
There are other ancient towers nearby too! Another broch, called Dun Telve, is about 470 meters (514 yards) to the west. There is also a "semi-broch" known as Dun Grugaig about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the southeast.
The History of Dun Troddan
People first drew pictures of Dun Troddan around the year 1720. Back then, it was still a complete tower. It was thought to be over 12 meters (39 feet) tall at that time. People said it was "by far the most entire" tower in the area.
Sadly, some of its stones were taken in 1722. These stones were used to help build Bernera Barracks in Glenelg. A traveler named Thomas Pennant visited the broch in 1772. It was still a very large building, but it had lost its top floor by then.
Between 1914 and 1920, workers cleared out the tower. They also made sure it was stable and safe. Today, Historic Environment Scotland takes care of this important ancient site.
What Does Dun Troddan Look Like?
Dun Troddan is a tower made of drystone. This means the stones were put together without any mortar. The tower is about 17.5 meters (57 feet) wide. Today, it stands about 7 meters (23 feet) tall. The outer walls are very thick, about 4.5 meters (15 feet) at the bottom.
The main entrance is on the southwest side. It no longer has a roof. Inside the entrance, on the left, there is a small room. This room is sometimes called a "guard cell."
Dun Troddan has some cool features that are missing from other similar towers. For example, it has holes in the floor where wooden posts might have stood. It also has a fireplace, or hearth. A broken quern-stone is built into the hearth. A quern-stone was used to grind grain. The central area inside the tower is almost a perfect circle, about 8.56 meters (28 feet) wide.
There is a doorway inside the tall part of the wall. This doorway leads to a staircase. You can go up nine steps to reach a landing on the first floor. This landing is 5.7 meters (19 feet) long. It is about 2.4 meters (8 feet) above the central court. At the end of this landing, you can see the first step of what would have been the next flight of stairs.
