Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Upcoming Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates:
Thursday, 9 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 23 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday, 30 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
During these times, some functionality such as image purchasing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Field Visit
Date 10 November 1976
Event ID 589731
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/589731
"The Cauldron" (name confirmed) is a near-circular enclosure situated at the foot of an east-facing cliff and enclosed within the main cashel wall of the settlement of St Blanes. It measures 10.0m NE-SW by 9.3m transversely within a double-faced wall 2.5m thick and standing to a maximum height of 1.8m. The entrance, in the SE, narrows from 2.5, wide on the outside to 1.6m wide, and shows no evidence of a door check. The wall at this point is splayed to 3.0m.
The origin and use of "the Cauldron" is conjectural; however its position at the foot of a near vertical 70ft high rock face suggests that it is not a defensive work such as a dun or "ring fort" and its wall thickness in relation to the internal diameter precludes its classification as a broch. It seems likely to be an occupational structure contemporary with the monastic establishment (NS05SE 5).
Surveyed at 1:10 000.
Visited by OS (BS) 10 November 1976
