It is one of northern Scotland’s most iconic archaeological monuments that provides a unique insight into the nation’s Iron Age past having emerged after a 14 year series of community excavations.

Some 2,000 years ago, a Highland broch burned down but in the process sealed remarkable evidence of its final occupation inside.

The Clachtoll Broch amidst the remote community of Assynt has been transformed from a neglected ruin to a fascinating window into life in the area at around 50AD.

Now it has been named Rescue Project of the Year in the prestigious UK-wide Current Archaeology Magazine Annual Awards.

Projects are nominated for awards by magazine staff, which are then decided by a public vote.

Archaeologists investigating the remains of the Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure say they have found evidence to support the theory that the building caught fire and collapsed about 2,000 years ago.

Its interior has been effectively untouched ever since, but, with the sea encroaching, the ruin has been becoming increasingly fragile and dangerous to visitors.

So Historic Assynt, a local community organisation organised a project to conserve and consolidate the monument.

Despite its massive and enduring appearance, the broch has been actively decaying, mainly through coastal erosion, which has claimed around a quarter of the wall already and continues to destabilise the structure.

The Herald:

The award announcement was made online

The continuing recovery programme has re-imagined the broch - originally a 46ft-tall cooling tower-shaped building - from what was described as “big pile of stones”.

Fifty-five volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours to the excavations, shifting vast amounts of stone and digging in all weathers.

Surviving in places to first floor level are the remains of spectacular drystone tower which the work has now made safe for visitors to view.

The project, which was funded by Historic Environment Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund and being led by AOC Archaeology, has also recovered stone lamps, pottery, and a knocking stone filled with burned grain.

Brochs - derived from Lowland Scots’ term ‘brough’ meaning among other things ‘fort’ - are unique to Scotland, and their purpose has long been debated.

Sixty years ago most archaeologists believed that brochs, usually regarded as the castles of Iron Age chieftains, were built by immigrants who had been pushed northward after being displaced first by the intrusions of Belgic tribes into what is now southeast England at the end of the second century BC and later by the Roman invasion of southern Britain beginning in AD 43.

The Herald:

But experts say there is now little doubt that the hollow-walled broch tower was purely an invention in what is now Scotland and that the pottery found inside which most resembled south British styles were local hybrid forms.

The Shetland Amenity Trust lists about 120 sites in Shetland as candidate brochs, while the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) identifies a total of 571 candidate broch sites throughout the country.

Commenting on the award, David Bain, chair of Historic Assynt, said: “The support from our partners has helped us deliver an amazing project and hopefully conserve this wonderful iron age structure for many years to come.

Excavations at Clachtoll Broch from AOC Archaeology on Vimeo.

“But it is the support from our community that has made the difference in winning this award, and we want to thank everyone for voting and supporting us throughout.”

 Carly Hilts, editor of Current Archaeology said: "Clachtoll broch tells such an evocative story of an Iron Age community fleeing from their burning home 2,000 years ago, but the wreckage of this catastrophe also preserved an amazing time capsule of their lives for future generations to uncover. 

"The project that we nominated is also imbued with a powerful sense of community,as the same area's modern inhabitants came together with AOC Archaeology to unpick the broch's past and conserve an important local site.

"In shortlisting the project, we were inspired not only by the diverse collection of finds that were uncovered by this work and the important insights into Iron Age life that they provide, but also by the way that the team engaged with the archaeology, carrying out innovative experiments to explore theories of how brochs were built and how fire spread through the doomed tower on its final day."

Boyd Alexander, scheme manager for Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape, added: “We are delighted that Historic Assynt’s Clachtoll Broch project has been recognised for the work that has been done, and the transformation it has brought to this iconic part of our history and culture.”