Whispers of a stallion echo across the ages. Here at Close ny Chollag Promontory Fort we stand on a site steeped in history. This seemingly ordinary mound hides a remarkable story. For centuries wind and weather have veiled its secrets.
Close ny Chollag meaning “Enclosure of the Stallion” its name hints at a mystery. No one knows why it bears this name. Archaeologists uncovered a hidden world beneath the grass. Imagine a massive stone rampart nine metres wide. It stood much higher than the mound we see today. A wooden fence perhaps crowned its top. A deep ditch once surrounded it a formidable defence.
Inside this impressive fortification lay roundhouses. Three or maybe four huts. Their stone bases remain. Hearths glowed in their centres. Sophisticated drainage systems kept them clean. The skill and care in the stonework were astonishing. Archaeologists found traces of a later building too. Perhaps a Viking longhouse or animal shelter. This suggests occupation long after the roundhouses were abandoned.
These inhabitants lived during the Iron Age around 500BC. Their diet is revealed through hundreds of animal bones. Cattle sheep pigs horses chickens crabs and limpets. No dog bones were found but fossilised dog faeces were. They did not eat their dogs unlike horses. A single hedgehog bone was also discovered.
The people vanished suddenly. A brooch from 50AD was the last trace of their presence. Many theories abound. Perhaps Roman galleys arrived. The inhabitants were taken as slaves. Or maybe they simply moved inland to sites like those near Great Meadow.
The mystery of Close ny Chollag remains. Why such strong fortifications? Why the sudden abandonment? What was life like here? Standing here today you’d never guess the wealth of history buried beneath. Close ny Chollag is a silent testament to lives lived long ago a legacy whispered on the wind.