Monument record MAB20522 - BROAD DYKE

A large consumption dyke with a paved footpath along the top.

A large consumption dyke with a paved footpath along the top. The Broad Dyke is also known as the West Dyke. It comprises four sections, each with dressed terminals, and in total measures 440m in length, and is 10m wide and 2m high. Each section comprises two inward leaning side walls with a rubble core. It is perhaps the most famous and best known of dykes in Aberdeen. It is generally said to be the work of Francis Edmonds the owner of Kingswells estate in the 19th century. However the evidence would seem to suggest that this dyke was in existence before Edmonds came into possession of the estate. Although consumption dykes are not entirely unique to the north east of Scotland they are not found in any substantial numbers elsewhere in the world. They are dykes which result from the very rocky nature of the ground in the north east of Scotland and are associated with the period of agricultural improvements from the 18th century. Part of this movement involved clearing new ground of stones to create new fields. The excessive number of rocks and boulders in Aberdeen made this particularly arduous. The cleared rocks could be put to a number of different uses: if it was economical they could be sold off and shipped elsewhere. Many of the boulders and stones cleared in the north east were made into paving slabs in London. But where there were too many or where the distance to move them to the coast for transportation was too high they were often formed into consumption dykes. These dykes 'consumed' the stones cleared from the land. Technically these dykes may be defined as ones which are broader than they are tall. Historically they have also been known as Aberdeenshire Dykes and Consuming Dykes. They perform two functions: firstly to delineate a field boundary as all dykes do and secondly to use up the excess of stones. In some cases they also perform a third aesthetic function. In certain cases they have paths laid out along the top of them and are very much monuments to the taste of the estate landowner who had them created. G.M. Fraser, notes that, 'It is usually said that this great Consumption Dyke was constructed by Dr Francis Edmonds after he bought Kingswells in 1854. However there is an 1840 reference to a dyke which may have been this one and there is documentary evidence to suggest that the consumption dykes in the area of Kingswells had been in existence since the later 18th century. Dr Edmonds may have provided the path on an existing dyke. The dyke itself has always attracted attention and has featured in poems and literature. See also NJ80NE0045 for section to the east. .

COUNCIL FOR SCOTTISH ARCHAEOLOGY, 1989, DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND 1989, p.24 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5338.

BABTIE GROUP, 2004, ABERDEEN WESTERN PERIPHERAL ROUTE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK-BASED STUDY & WALKOVER SURVEY. VOL 1: TEXT, VOL 2 GAZETTEER, Site 98 - photos (Bibliographic reference). SAB3745.

ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL, 2013, KINGSWELLS AND BRIMMOND HILL (Bibliographic reference). SAB8367.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2026 12:52PM