"An Iron Age tower on Shapinsay's northern headland, where solitude and sea meet walls built two thousand years ago"
Burroughston Broch
Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
At the northeastern corner of Shapinsay, far from the island's small settlement, Burroughston Broch stands on a hillock above the sea. This Iron Age fortified dwelling was built sometime around the turn of the first millennium, its thick drystone walls enclosing a circular interior with an entrance passage, guard chamber, and intramural staircase. The broch was excavated in 1862 under the direction of antiquarian George Petrie, making it one of the earlier Orkney brochs to receive systematic investigation. Today, the effort required to reach it, a ferry crossing and a four-mile walk, ensures that most visitors have the site entirely to themselves.
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Quick Facts
Location
Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
59.0735, -2.8030
Last Updated
Feb 6, 2026
Burroughston Broch belongs to the broch-building tradition of Atlantic Scotland, a phenomenon unique to Scotland and concentrated in the Highlands and Islands during the later Iron Age. On Shapinsay, the broch was built on a headland with commanding views over the North Sea, serving as both dwelling and defensive structure.
Origin Story
No origin narrative survives. The broch was constructed by Iron Age inhabitants of Shapinsay, part of the broader Atlantic Scottish broch-building culture. The name Burroughston derives from Old Norse borg (fort or stronghold) combined with tun (farmstead), indicating that later Norse settlers recognised the structure as an ancient fortification. The Iron Age builders' own name for the site is unknown.
Key Figures
George Petrie
Sir Henry Dryden
Colonel David Balfour
Spiritual Lineage
No continuous tradition connects the present to the Iron Age broch builders. The cultural lineage was disrupted by the Pictish period and subsequent Norse colonisation. The broch's significance today is primarily archaeological and experiential.
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