Charity to build first broch in Scotland for more than 2000 years

An Iron Age broch is to be built in Scotland – for the first time in more 2000 years.

Archaeological charity Caithness Broch Project aims to begin construction on the broch in 2023, and has released a digital image of what the attraction is expected to look like.

The charity is hoping the broch will become an important visitor attraction for the region of Caithness, which has been projected to lose over 20% of its population over the next 20 years.

Brochs, which were tall, double-walled drystone towers found only in Scotland, were used as dwellings for local chieftains in the Iron Age.

The Caithness broch will be the first to be constructed in more than 2000 years.

The charity hopes to acquire land for the construction of the tower within the next year, with funding being generated from a variety of sources.

Iain Maclean, Caithness Broch Project co-founder, said: “We wanted to capture a variety of features found in broch construction from all over Scotland, so the design isn’t a carbon copy of any individual broch but instead is a kind of chimaera of elements chosen for a number of reasons, ranging from structural robustness, health and safety, or purely because they were interesting features.”

Kenneth McElroy, Caithness Broch Project director, said: “This project will be a hugely important one for the county.

“Not only do we want this to become a sustainable and successful contribution to the economy of Caithness, but it could become an icon for the county too.”