Torwoodlee Broch

Torwoodlee Broch is the remains of an iron-age broch located near the town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

1. Description

Torwoodlee Broch (grid reference NT46553847) is situated on the site of an earlier hillfort on the shoulder of a ridge. The hillfort is an irregular oval in shape, measuring about 137 metres by 136 metres. The broch itself lies on the southwest side of the fort and partly on top of the defences. The diameter of the broch is 23.2 metres and the outer wall is 5.2 metres thick. The central court has a diameter of about 12 metres. The broch lies about two miles south of Bow Castle Broch.

1. Excavations

The broch was first cleared out by James Curle in 1891 at which time much Roman pottery and glass, together with a 1st-century AD coin were found inside it. It was systematically excavated in 1950 by Stuart Piggott. More Roman pottery and glass was found beneath the wall of the broch. The broch appears to have been built soon after the Romans withdrew from Scotland in about 100 AD, and was thrown down again shortly afterwards, perhaps by a Roman expedition preparing for the reoccupation of 140 AD. The many fragments of Roman material found in the broch might be explained as loot from the nearby legionary fort at Newstead (Trimontium).

1. References


1. Further reading

Piggott, Stuart (1953), Excavations in the broch and hill-fort of Torwoodlee, Selkirkshire, 1950, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., Vol.85 Curle, J. (1892) 'Notes on two brochs recently discovered at Bow, Midlothian, and Torwoodlee, Selkirkshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 26, Pages 68–70

1. External links

Media related to Torwoodlee Broch at Wikimedia Commons

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Buckholm is a farm near to the A7, in the Scottish Borders, Galashiels area of Scotland. Places nearby include Abbotsford, the Bow Castle Broch, Clovenfords, Darnick, Eildon, the Gala Water, the Lugate Water, and Stow. Buckholm Tower was built in 1582 by the Pringle family and is at the foot of Buckholm Hill.

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Bowshank

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Bowland railway station

Bowland railway station (Bowland Bridge between May 1849 and July 1862) was a railway station in the village of Bowland, near Galashiels, Scotland. Located on the now closed Waverley Route, it was opened to passengers on 4 August 1848, closing to passengers on 7 December 1953 and finally to goods services on 23 March 1964. The line itself was closed and lifted in 1969, although the section of it which Bowland was on re-opened in 2015. The station consisted of two platforms with a wooden waiting room on each and a small ticket office next to one of the platforms. A signal box, one siding goods yard and weigh bridge were all found near the site. There are very few remains of the station left, but a building near the sidings is still extant.

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