Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1018858
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018858
The magnificent broch of Tirefour stands on the highest part of a ridge on the east coast of the island, a position that offers commanding views of the surrounding seascapes. The broch is circular on plan with the central courtyard measuring about 12m within a massive wall about 4.5m thick and still 5m in height. The entrance is on the south-west flank. The wall has been constructed in such a way that the basal part is solid rather than hollow; at a height of about 2.5m there are traces of an internal gallery, and it is likely that the upper part of the broch was of classic hollow-wall construction. At a height of about 2.5m from the original internal floor-level, there is a distinct scarcement or ledge 0.6m wide, which would have allowed internal timber buildings or floors to be keyed into the stone structure of the tower; no excavation has been undertaken and thus we do not know about any internal post-holes which might help to reconstruct such buildings more positively. Look out for the traces of two outer walls, now much denuded, which have provided additional protection for the broch on the north-east and south-west flanks.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles’, (1985).
