Abernethy Round Tower

Trip to Abernthy this afternoon and liked the look of the ancient tower.

Abernethy Round Tower stands close to the centre of the ancient village of Abernethy in the south west corner of the churchyard. It is a rare example of a circular freestanding towers surviving in Scotland.

The tower is 74ft high and 15ft in diameter at the bottom. Freestanding circular towers like the one found in Abernethy started to appear in Ireland in the 900s, and over the following centuries they became a relatively common feature of the Irish landscape. They were much more of a rarity in Scotland and it is thought that the tower in Abernethy was built by Celtic Culdee monks who had established a monastery here some time around 1100.