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<< Our Photo Pages >> Torwood Broch - Broch or Nuraghe in Scotland in Falkirk

Submitted by cosmic on Friday, 23 September 2005  Page Views: 21946

Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Torwood Broch Alternative Name: Tappoch Broch
Country: Scotland
NOTE: This site is 2.2 km away from the location you searched for.

County: Falkirk Type: Broch or Nuraghe
Nearest Town: Falkirk  Nearest Village: Torwood
Map Ref: NS8333584986
Latitude: 56.043487N  Longitude: 3.874351W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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I have visited· I would like to visit

neo_lithic visited on 2nd Nov 2018 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Fantastic site with a great feel about it, you can really get a sense of how the people would have lived and the sense of age is great. Well worth a visit.

Anne T visited on 13th May 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Tappoch/Torwood Broch, West Lothian: I’d wanted to go in search of the 2 boundary stones near Torphinchen, but was over-ruled in favour of the broch at Tappoch. By the time we’d left Torphinchen, the rain really started to come down, but being equipped with waterproofs, and supposedly sheltered by the tall forest trees, we set off anyway. Parking on Glen Road, close to the footpath, we set off up the public right of way to Denoven (the car park that is mentioned in the main page is now a new house), then took the path which headed off right and up hill into the forest. It was lovely, soft spongy ground to walk on, with all the pine needles forming a soft covering over the prolific bedrock slabs. Continuing up the hillside, the rain got heavier, but as we reached the broch, the rain stopped for a short period (just long enough for us to explore the broch). The easiest way to access the interior of the broch is to take the path to your left, walking round the exterior wall of the broch. An internal staircase comes into view, and it’s easy walking down these few steps. Going straight up the hill was definitely for mountain goats! The interior feels roomy and solid, with sturdy, dry stone walls. The foresters (or others) have clearly been using this structure, as there were the remains of a stone fire pit and recently burnt wood. Looking closer at the lumps and bumps around the broch, I think there are other structures attached to this site. There was a very steep drop on the broch’s southern side, clearly excellent for defences. Well worth a visit, even if it took several hours to dry out afterwards!



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4.5 Access: 4

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : View across broch to internal room. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Broch in Falkirk

The broch itself was excavated in 1864 - prior to this it was considered to be just a mound. The walls at ground level are twenty feet thick. Part of the internal stairway is still visible with the remaining walls being about seven feet high.

Stuck in the motorway triangle between Stirling and Falkirk (M9,M80 and M876) is a broch. From the minor road through the village drive up the signposted Public Right of Way to Denovan and park in the car park on the left. Just before the the car park there is a small path going off the right hand side of the track into the wood. Follow this path for about ten minutes and then take the right fork into the broch (it's well hidden) but if the path starts going downhill you've gone too far. Apologies for the detailed instructions but even a local dog walker didn't know of its existence!

For more information see Canmore ID 47004 which contains extensive notes including a Publication Account from 2007 and Excavation Notes from 2014.
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Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : View of Broch's Interior. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : Interior Wall. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : This contributor and her daughter inside the broch (to show scale). Note the Scotch mist - it took several hours to dry out after this visit, but it was worth it! (Vote or comment on this photo)

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : Entrance to Stairway. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : Doorway from outside.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : Standing at the bottom of the steps, looking back up. Certainly a very strong, sturdy construction.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : The interior of the broch, looking westwards. The walls are a little bit more 'tumbled down' in this section, but the rest of the walls are sturdy and protective.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : Now in the interior of the broch, looking back at the entrance to the stairs (these run off to the right of the photo between the dry stone walls).

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : The easiest way into the broch is to follow the footpath round the external walls to your left. The internal steps come into view, and its an easy descent into the interior.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by Anne T : First view of the broch, just as we emerged from the forest track. Going straight up the hill into the broch was for mountain goats only (OK, my daughter and son-in-law - I took the less strenuous option!). The 2014 excavation notes from Canmore say there was a programme of vegetation clearance.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by durhamnature : Sketch of Torwood Broch, 1883, from "Scotland in Pagan Times" by Joseph anerson via archive.org

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : An Interior Room space.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : Doorway on left and Stairway Entrance on right.

Torwood Broch
Torwood Broch submitted by cosmic : There's a broch in there HONEST!

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"Torwood Broch" | Login/Create an Account | 12 News and Comments
  
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Torwood Broch Laser Survey by Andy B on Wednesday, 25 January 2017
(User Info | Send a Message)
Torwood Broch Laser Survey
https://www.celebrate-scotland.co.uk/userfiles/files/picture-this-torwood-broch.pdf
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Wednesday, 19 August 2009
I am a Wallace decendant in the USA. What is a Broch?
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Torwood Broch by Andy B on Wednesday, 19 August 2009
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Hello, a better known broch is here:
    http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=24328463
    [ Reply to This ]
    Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Sunday, 13 September 2009
    A Broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. The theory that they were defensive military structures is not accepted by many modern archaeologists, and the alternative notion that they were farmhouses is ridiculed by some others. Although most stand alone in the landscape, some examples exist of brochs surrounded by clusters of smaller dwellings. Brochs were almost certainly originally roofed
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Monday, 02 June 2008
My old man first showed me this face @ 1978 but it has always intruiged me, it is about 200-300 yards away from the broch uphill under a large overhang am useless with directions so anyone else with any knowledge of this face or who fancy spending a few days pokong around let me know what you find. It may be very old or it may not but it would be nice to know either way.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Thursday, 01 January 2009
    I found the broch today for the first time. One of my new year resolutions ticked. I loved it and will visit again especially knowing there is another treasure still to find. This face sounds very intriguing. Will let you know if i find it.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Thursday, 14 February 2008
dont know of that face carved in the rock, would like to know more about it if possible ?
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Eoes anyone know of the face carved into the rock-face about 200 yards from the broch??
It is sheltered from the elements by a large overhang, but I was 10 when my old man took a cast from it.
The face looks very Celtic in style(at least it did in 1980).
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Thursday, 10 January 2008
im a big fan of that place, next door you got torwood castle, what more can you ask for, lol.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Thursday, 10 January 2008
its a magical place, me and my mates used to camp up there when we were kids.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Monday, 09 October 2006
i have lived in Denny for 37 years and only found out about this broch this morning.
I was exploring some forest tracks and stumbled across it, what a delight!
i'll be back soon to get some of my own pictures.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Torwood Broch by Anonymous on Saturday, 02 August 2008
    aware of visited it for fourty years deep water bellow woods next torwood castle not computer friendly
    [ Reply to This ]

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