Clickimin Broch

Clickimin Broch
Otter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Clickimin Broch
Location	"Lerwick, Shetland"
Region	"Shetland Islands"
Type	"Broch, promontory fort"
Epoch	"Iron Age"
Cultures	"Pictish, Norse"
Ownership	"Historic Scotland"
Public access	"Yes"

Clickimin Broch is an Iron Age broch and promontory fort located near Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The site occupies a strategic tidal islet and has been the subject of significant archaeological excavation, conservation, and public interpretation. Its remains provide evidence for late prehistoric architecture, Norse-period activity, and ongoing heritage management in Scotland.

Description and Location

The broch stands on a rubble-built promontory adjacent to the tidal waters of the North Sea, immediately west of Lerwick, within the parish of Sandwick, Shetland. The site is set on a rocky islet reached by a causeway and overlooks the approaches to the main harbor of Lerwick, offering strategic views toward Bressay, Noss, and the Mainland of Shetland Islands. Its situation has been compared with other Atlantic coastal monuments such as Dun Carloway, Dun Telve, and Jarlshof, and it forms part of the wider prehistoric landscape that includes Stanydale Temple, Unstan Chambered Cairn, and the broch distribution across Scotland. Administratively the broch lies within the historic county of Shetland and is managed in the context of Scottish heritage bodies like Historic Environment Scotland and local authorities.

Archaeological History and Excavations

Interest in the monument dates to antiquarian visits in the 18th and 19th centuries, alongside surveys by figures associated with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and collectors connected to National Museums Scotland. Systematic excavation was undertaken in the 19th century and more comprehensively in the 20th century by archaeologists influenced by the methods of V. Gordon Childe, A.O. Curle, and later by field archaeologists trained in techniques used on sites like Skara Brae and Jarlshof. Major excavations in the 1950s and 1960s documented structural phases, stratigraphy, and context for artefact assemblages, with reports circulated among universities such as the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. Findings were compared with broch research published in journals associated with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and presented at conferences alongside work on Iron Age Scotland and Norse archaeology.

Architecture and Construction

The broch exhibits a thick drystone wall surrounding an internal round tower with an internal courtyard similar in plan to brochs at Burnswark, Dun Troddan, and Dun Mor Vaul. Outer defenses include a ditch and rampart sequence comparable to promontory forts such as Hoxa Head and Broch of Mousa. The internal fabric shows intramural galleries, stairways, and cell-like chambers characteristic of Atlantic broch-building traditions documented across Orkney, Shetland Islands, and the Hebridean seaboard. Construction techniques reflect local sandstone and schist sourcing analogous to masonry observed at Ness of Brodgar and structural repairs consistent with reuse during the Viking Age, paralleled by modifications seen at Jarlshof and Clickimin's contemporaries in northern Scotland.

Dating and Cultural Context

Radiocarbon determinations and stratigraphic relationships place primary broch construction within the later Iron Age, often correlated with Late Prehistoric chronologies developed from sites like Skara Brae and settlement sequences from Calanais. Subsequent phases show evidence for continued occupation into the early medieval and Norse periods, resonating with broader patterns seen in Norse settlement studies tied to Norse colonisation of the British Isles, Viking Age material culture, and historical records from Orkneyinga saga. Cultural attribution has involved comparison with Pictish material culture, parallels in pottery production witnessed at Trusty Hill and metalworking evidence comparable to finds from Cnip and other Atlantic sites.

Finds and Artefacts

Excavations produced pottery sherds, iron objects, stone tools, and ecofacts that have been studied alongside artefact assemblages from Mousa Broch, Broch of Gurness, and Brodgar contexts. Metal finds include knives, nails, and a possible spearhead comparable to examples catalogued at National Museums Scotland and descriptions in journals from the Society of Antiquaries of London. Organic remains — animal bone, shellfish midden, and charred cereals — contribute to subsistence reconstructions similar to those developed for Skara Brae and Jarlshof, while small finds such as spindle whorls and gaming pieces echo domestic material from Dun Cuier, Dun Beag, and other broch sites. Some Norse-period artefacts and structural alterations indicate reoccupation or reutilisation during the Viking Age, reflecting interaction networks across the North Atlantic.

Preservation and Visitor Access

The broch is conserved as an archaeological monument with managed access via a causeway and pathways maintained by local heritage agencies linked to Historic Environment Scotland and the Shetland Islands Council. Interpretive signage, site fencing, and conservation measures mirror practices used at Mousa, Jarlshof, and Skara Brae, balancing public access with protection of vulnerable masonry and archaeological deposits. The site is accessible to visitors from Lerwick and is included in regional cultural tourism routes promoted by organizations such as VisitScotland and local heritage trusts, with outreach and education coordinated with institutions like the Shetland Museum.

Category:Brochs Category:Archaeological sites in Shetland