Scotland's Rural Past

Scotland’s Rural Past (SRP) was a five-year Heritage Lottery Fund project launched in October 2006. It inspired over 60 projects with local volunteers aimed at researching, recording and interpreting historic rural settlements and landscapes.

SRP's four-strong team worked with communities across Scotland to improve understanding and awareness of an often neglected piece of Scottish heritage. They provided expert training, advice and support for volunteers throughout their projects and ensured that the information they gathered is now accessible to a wider audience through the RCAHMS database and the SRP project website.

The project also supported communities to raise awareness of their rural past locally and nationally through a wide range of access and educational initiatives. The SRP website has full details about the project along with the results of completed and ongoing investigations carried out by project participants throughout Scotland.

The work of SRP featured in a four-part series on BBC Radio 4 called Ankle High History and it was shortlisted for Best Archaeological Project at the 2008 British Archaeological Awards.

Although Scotland's Rural Past has now finished, RCAHMS is still committed to supporting Community Archaeology projects. The Community Archaeology Team can be contacted by email at communities@rcahms.gov.uk.