A Broch……A Circular Wall Settlement
Dun Telve Broch
Dating back to the Iron Age, a Broch is best described as Fort, a Farm, a home and a settlement…the first “All in One”.
Sturdy stone walls, erected in a circle and of double cavity construction these buildings had several floor levels. The ground floor was for the animals and upper floors for the members of the settlement. Access to the various floors was through the cavity wall …the cavity also providing an insulation gap against the damp and cold. Finally the building was topped off with a timber and turf roof whilst a small sheltered door gave the added security that was needed.
Dun Telve Broch is one of several that are dotted across the Scottish Highlands and Islands. It nestles in the shadow of the Lochaber Mountains, near to the sea at Glenelg in the narrow wooded valley of Gleann Beag ( the Little Glen) . Even though much of the stone work has been robbed for other buildings, what remains is a testament to the skills of the builders and to the strength of there construction.
My second submission for this Weeks Photo Challenge https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/wall/
16th March
(C) David Oakes 2015
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 