20 April 2024

The Last Day of the Dig

Short film with Martin Carver about the excavations at Tarbat in 2007, followed by a discussion led by Dougie Scott, local author and silversmith, on how the film came to be made. Come also and share our memories and memorabiliia of the dig.

Venue: Tarbat Discovery Centre. Tickets £5 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/tarbatdiscoverycentre/1221417

20 April 2024

Souterrain Sounds at the Caen Burn, Kildonan

Timespan heritage curator Jacquie Aitken will lead a group to the souteirran site at the Caen Burn Kildonan. This archaeological Iron Age site has been silently reacting and responding to the loss of its inhabitants, changes in climate, and the constant threat of destruction from development. To better understand the acoustics of the site, archaeoacoustics is being used as a technique to capture the sounds of the materials and vegetation surrounding the area. Jacquie’s will use these sounds to reconstruct the acoustic of the area, the recording will be available at Timespan’ s archive throughout the festival.

The minibus is fully booked, but people can travel by their own car. Meet at Timespan Museum at 9:35. The walk is a 30-35 minute walk of medium difficulty through potentially boggy terrain. Welly boots are recommended.

Fruther details from their website and facebook pages, or email enquiries@timespan.org.uk. Part of their Becoming Futures sound festival.

20 April 2024

In 2022, the Yarrows Heritage Trust used money committed by a local windfarm trust for a community project to search for the remains of a “lost” towerhouse, Thurster Tower. There are numerous historical references to this tower, but it was probably destroyed in the early 17th century. Its exact whereabouts are unknown, although local tradition locates it to a field just north of Ulbster.

In April 2023 AOC Archaeology led a preliminary community excavation of a structure in this field, involving community volunteers and local schoolchildren. The excavation was led by Andy Heald of AOC who has extensive knowledge of Caithness. This superficial excavation uncovered part of the structure revealing a complex multi-period building with an earlier more solid structure underpinning later additions. This did not have the appearance of the looked-for towerhouse but did look as if it would provide the opportunity to investigate a Caithnesian vernacular building.

Their aim this year is to return to the site with AOC Archaeology in order to do a longer and more extensive excavation of the structure, with ample opportunity for community involvement and post-ex analysis.

To get involved and for more details, register your interest by emailing heritage@yarrowsheritagetrust.co.uk.

All welcome, no experience required!