Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1018849
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018849
This fort occupies the highest part of a small tidal island, the southern extremity of which is Carradale Point, and access is only possible at low tide. The fort is about 56m by 23m within a thick wall, which was originally composed of stone and timber; several stretches of outer facing-stones remain on the west and south-east sides of the fort. Particularly remarkable, however, -are the massive lumps of vitrified material, the remains of the stone core of the wall fused together as a result of a great conflagration. It is possible that there was a larger number of timbers on the east side of the fort, where the vitrifaction is heaviest, for it was the burning timbers that created the draughts which allowed the fierce heat necessary for the fusing together of the stones. At one time it was thought that this was a deliberate act on the part of the prehistoric builders, but now it is generally accepted that the burning was either accidental or the result of a hostile attack.
Many of the small gullies leading to the summit of the island have been blocked by small stretches of walling in order to provide additional protection for the fort.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles’, (1985).
