Tillydrone

Also known as:
Mote Hill
Nearest town:
Aberdeen (3km SSE)
OS reference:
NJ9366508870
OS sheet:
38
Latitude:
57° 10' 14.37 N
Longitude:
2° 6' 17.19 W
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Tillydrone

stolinskie
stolinskie Oct 13, 2025

I was exploring the most excellent Cruickshank Botanic Gardens when I saw the mound and knew I had to investigate. What a great location next to the Don, it seems notable that St. Machar’s Cathedral was plonked close to it. The HER link tells about the recent excavations.

Tillydrone

drewbhoy
drewbhoy Apr 18, 2011

Tillydrone is known for all sorts of things but this is a well kept secret. I studied at Aberdeen University (living in the equally luxurious Torry) and hadn’t heard about this artificial mound till today whilst at Foresterhill.

This steep sided mound is some 30 meters wide and 9 meters by 5 meters at it’s oval shaped top. What it was used for is anybodies guess but it seems to have been in use since before the Iron Age.

Go down St Machar Drive in Aberdeen, past the academy with same name, until the first roundabout. If coming from King Street it is also the first roundabout. Go along Tillydrone Avenue heading north (past the Zoology dept.) and stop a the buliding that looks like a wee castle. Follow the path east which leads straight to the mound. Don’t go west or you might fall down the path into the River Don which this landmark overlooks.

Visited 18/4/2011.

Link

Tillydrone
Artificial Mound
stolinskie
stolinskie Oct 13, 2025
Aberdeen HER

A prominent conical mound, formerly thought to be a motte, but which excavation showed to be much earlier, a defended site dating possibly to the Bronze Age, also to the 1st century AD. There appears to have been no medieval occupation of the site. This artificial mound is located at the south end of Seaton Park, Old Aberdeen....

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