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The Great Britain Guide

Memorials & monuments · Scottish Islands

Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle

Free admission

Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle — scheduled monument-listed memorial in scotland-islands, United Kingdom.

Coastline of Fair Isle south from the side of Malcolm's Head - geograph.org.uk - 1994266

Julian Paren — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–45 min
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle is a scheduled monument-listed memorial in scotland-islands, United Kingdom, registered on the Historic Environment Scotland register (entry SM6586). Listed status protects buildings and structures of special architectural or historic interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for further details.

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Heritage listing

Date Added 23/12/1996 Type 20th Century Military and Related: Lookout tower, Secular: lookout tower Local Authority Shetland Islands Parish Dunrossness NGR HZ 19589 70728 Coordinates 419589, 1070728 — The monument comprises the remains of a watch tower of Napoleonic date, standing just off the summit of Malcolm's Head, a prominent hill in the SW of Fair Isle. The tower has been 5m square, with walls surviving to a maximum of 2.2m high. It is well constructed of mortared stone, with substantial quoins. The N wall has been almost completely removed. In the S, and tallest surviving, wall is an opening about 1m wide, closed by later masonry. There are remains of later (probably World War 1 and/or 2) lookout posts of brick and concrete close to the N, but these are very ruined. The area to be scheduled is circular, 40m in diameter, to include the tower and the remains of nearby, later structures, as shown in red on the accompanying map extract.

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.

Place summary

Malcolm's Head is a lookout tower located on Fair Isle in the Scottish Islands. This scheduled monument serves as a memorial, reflecting the area's maritime history and significance.

AI-generated from the structured facts on this page (operator, designation, listing, era). Not a substitute for visiting.

Coordinates
59.5220, -1.6556
Postcode
ZE2 9JU
Parliamentary constituency
Orkney and Shetland

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle?
Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom (postcode ZE2 9JU).
Is Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle a listed building?
Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Is Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle free to visit?
Yes, Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle is free to enter.
How do I get to Malcolm's Head, lookout tower, Fair Isle?
Drivers can navigate to postcode ZE2 9JU. It sits within the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency.