Midhowe Broch

Midhowe Broch (grid reference HY37163061) is situated on a narrow promontory between two steep-sided creeks, on the north side of Eynhallow Sound. It is part of an ancient settlement, part of which has been lost to coastal erosion. The interior of the broch is crowded with stone partitions, and contains a spring-fed water tank in the floor and a hearth with sockets that may have held a roasting spit.

The broch is surrounded by the remains of lesser buildings, and a narrow entrance gives access into the defended settlement. These buildings seem to have been built as adjacent houses, but later in the site's history they were used as workshops, and one of them still retains its iron-smelting hearth. A short distance to the south-east is a large Neolithic chambered cairn known as Midhowe Chambered Cairn.

The broch and its attendant buildings were excavated between 1930 and 1933 and then taken under guardianship. The excavations recovered stone and bone tools associated with grain processing, spinning and weaving, together with pieces from crucibles and moulds associated with bronzeworking. A fragment from a Roman bronze vessel was also found. Many of the artefacts are now on display at the Broch of Gurness.