FREE Investigating the Past pop-up exhibition, Lanark

An Investigating the Past pop-up exhibition, showcasing artefacts from the Castle Qua excavation and other sites around Lanark, will take place at Lanark Library Monday 17 – Saturday 29 July, helping visitors to find out more about the sites. The exhibition will be open 9.15am-5pm daily, with late openings on Tuesdays until 8pm.

The last excavations relating to the Iron Age period in the area were undertaken at Cairngryffe Hill near Hyndford Bridge by Gordon Child in the 1930s, where evidence of an Iron Age community was found.  Very little is known about people who lived in the Clyde and Avon Valley during this period, so the excavations provide an exciting opportunity to find out more.

Dr Paul Murtagh, CAVLP Heritage Project Officer says, “Castle Qua, tucked into Cartland Craigs near Lanark, is an unusual site and little is known about it. It may have been the residence of Simon Loccard, who was Lord at The Lee in the 12^th century. It is thought that he might have reused an older site to set up his lordly residence, and that the site could be of early Medieval origins. However, this is only conjecture, and the site could equally be of Iron Age date. We really don’t know how to interpret this site and it will be only though excavation that we can finally solve the mystery.”

He continues, “Black Hill is one of the largest Iron Age sites in the west of Scotland. It commands extensive views across the whole of the Clyde and Avon Valley and is enclosed by a series of earthworks and ramparts. But again, we don’t know much about this site. When was it first built? Who built it and why? Was it the seat of a powerful chieftain or was it built by the whole community to be used as a community centre at particular times of the year? What activities took place within this site? By carrying out archaeological excavation we hope to answer some of these questions.”

Open Days, where visitors can come along to see an excavation in action, talk to archaeologists and take part in family activities have been planned for Castle Qua and Black Hill, for people who are unable to join in with the archaeological digs. These are taking place on Sunday 16 July, 10:30am – 5:30pm at Castle Qua, and Sundays 13 and 20 August, 11am – 4pm at Black Hill. Places for the Open Days are limited so booking is essential at www.cavlp.eventbrite.co.uk.