From a 'big pile of stones' to an award-winning Scots monument – Clachtoll Broch is rescue project …

It is one of northern Scotland’s most iconic archaeological monuments that provides a unique insight into the nation’s Iron Age past having emerged after a 14 year series of community excavations. Some 2,000 years ago, a Highland broch burned down but in the process sealed remarkable evidence of its final occupation inside. The Clachtoll Broch amidst the remote community of Assynt has been transformed from a neglected ruin to a fascinating window into life in the area at around 50AD. Now it has been named Rescue Project of the Year in the prestigious UK-wide Current Archaeology Magazine Annual Awards. Projects are nominated for awards by magazine staff, which are then decided by a public vote. Archaeologists investigating the remains of the Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure say they have found evidence to support the theory that the building caught fire and collapsed about 2,000 years ago. Its interior has been effectively untouched ever since, but, with the sea encroaching, the ruin has been becoming increasingly fragile and dangerous to visitors. So Historic Assynt, a local community organisation organised a project to conserve and consolidate the monument. Despite its massive and enduring appearance, the broch has been actively decaying, mainly through…
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