Broch from Sallachy
The Broch of Sallachy (also Sallachadh) is the best preserved Broch in Sutherland in Scotland . It is located on the left, less traffic-free side of Loch Shin (lake) near Lairg , about in the center of the Scottish Highlands on a low hill 100 m from the shore of the lake. The water level has been raised to generate electricity, so that originally there was less proximity to the shore.
description
The outer diameter of the broch is 18.4 m, the inner 9.4 m. The interior of the brochure has been cleared out in the past and the wall has also been largely torn down. On the outside, the approximately 4.5 meter thick and almost half hollow wall has a remaining height of about two meters, inside it is still over three meters high in places. Corridors lead on both sides of the approximately one meter wide entrance, which is located in the south-east, to two roughly equal-sized, once cantilevered , but now uncovered guard cells in the brickwork. In the south-western arch a corridor leads into the masonry, which ends after almost 1.5 m and leads on one side to a staircase running in the wall, on the other to a third niche, which is also roofless today. Faint traces of a surrounding ledge, which may originally have supported a wooden false ceiling, are visible at the upper end of the inner wall. A second (later?) May have been located opposite the entrance. Broken traces of a low wall seem to run around the Broch, which is in overgrown terrain.
The distribution of the Brochs in Sutherland deviates only slightly from the concentration of the other prehistoric monuments and is concentrated in the area around the larger river valleys. Brochs are features of the local geology. Some, like Sallachy, are made of stone slabs while others are made of rounded field stones because they were the most suitable local material. Slight fluctuations in Brochs' architecture reflect the time lag and the possibilities of the lithic resources.
literature
- G. Cavers: Sallachy Broch, Highland (Lairg parish), survey . In: Discovery Excavation Scotland 8, 2007, ISSN 0419-411X , p. 118.
- Robert Gourlay: Sutherland. An Historical guide . Birlinn, Edinburgh 1996, ISBN 1-874744-44-0 .
Web links
- Description Engl. Picture and sketch
- Entry on Sallachy Broch in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database
Coordinates: 58 ° 2'53.8 " N , 4 ° 27'35.4" W.