Prized work on High Morlaggan

19 March 2010

A Scotland’s Rural Past project has won the Robert Kiln Trust Award at the Archaeology 2010 conference held at the British Museum. The award is a prestigious annual prize given “for the best project, or a series of works or projects, carried out in the UK by a voluntary body or individual”.

The High Morlaggan project, investigating a deserted township on the shores of Loch Long, near Arrochar, is managed by SRP volunteers Sue Furness and Fiona Jackson. In the course of their project Sue and Fiona have involved the local community through all weathers in a full range of survey, recording and interpretation activities at the site, including working with the local primary school to create and perform a play based on the story of the township.

Since submitting their survey records to the RCAHMS online database Canmore, Sue and Fiona have continued their research, working in partnership with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and Kilmartin House Museum to undertake an excavation of the township remains.

SRP is a five-year Heritage Lottery Fund project that was launched in October 2006. It is inspiring projects with local volunteers throughout Scotland in researching, recording and interpreting historic rural settlements and landscapes.

SRP was shortlisted for Best Archaeological Project at the 2008 British Archaeological Awards.