Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Loch an Sgoltaire,fortification,Colonsay

A Scheduled Monument in Kintyre and the Islands, Argyll and Bute

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 56.0961 / 56°5'46"N

Longitude: -6.2033 / 6°12'11"W

OS Eastings: 138680

OS Northings: 697225

OS Grid: NR386972

Mapcode National: GBR CD2L.TMF

Mapcode Global: WGYFH.P18G

Entry Name: Loch an Sgoltaire,fortification,Colonsay

Scheduled Date: 4 October 1991

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Source ID: SM5072

Schedule Class: Cultural

Category: Secular: fort (non-prehistoric)

Location: Colonsay and Oronsay

County: Argyll and Bute

Electoral Ward: Kintyre and the Islands

Traditional County: Argyllshire

Description

The monument consists of an artillery fortification of c.1615 standing on an island in Loch an Sgoltaire. It has an outer thick- walled enceinte, pentagonal in shape (some 33m E-W by 30m N-S) with rounded bastions at all but the W corner and a watergate between two drum-towers on the N. This encloses a roughly square inner ward, with drum-bastions at the four corners. In the centre is a l9th Century summer house. The scheduled area includes the entire island, as shown in red on the accompanying plan, but excludes the summer house.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as representing a rare example of a private artillery defence, erected in the early 17th century, which has the potential through excavation to shed further light on the military technology and material culture of its builders and inhabitants.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.