Torr a'Chaisteal
| Torr a'Chaisteal | |
|
Buteshire | |
|---|---|
 Torr a'Chaisteal | |
| Type: | Hill fort |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NR92172326 |
| Location: | 55°27’32"N, 5°17’19"W |
| History | |
| Built Iron Age | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Historic Scotland |
Torr a'Chaisteal (or Torr a'Chaisteil) is an Iron Age fort or dun, found about a mile north-east of the village of Sliddery, on the Isle of Arran in Buteshire
Description
Torr a'Chaisteal is situated on an isolated grassy knoll on the west coast of Arran.
It was a fortified residence, or dun, of a type common across western Scotland in the later Iron Age. A similar structure can be seen at Kilpatrick Dun two and a half miles to the north. The turf-covered walls are a foot and a half high and have an average width of 13 feet.[1] The walls are formed of large sandstone boulders, enclosing an area with a diameter of around 23 feet. A short stretch of wall lies beside the dun to the east, while on the landward approach is a substantial earthwork that may have formed an outer defence.
Antiquarian excavations in the 19th century uncovered human and animal bones, shells, the top stone of a quern, and pieces of haematite iron.[1]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Torr a'Chaisteal) |
- Torr a'Chaisteal Dun: Historic Scotland
References
- Torr a'Chaisteal,dun,Arran - scheduled monument detail (Historic Environment Scotland)