Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project
Kilwinning Abbey during excavations undertaken in the early 1960s (above) and as it is in 2010 (below), images supplied by Rathmell Archaeology Ltd on behalf of the Kilwinning and District Preservation Society
The Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project is being run by Kilwinning and District Preservation Society, whose aim is to improve access to, and understanding of, the heritage of the town. Their two year project aims to discover more about the historic burgh of Kilwinning, through the application of archaeology and related disciplines. This will be achieved by exploring Kilwinning Abbey, its most visible historic monument, along with additional locations that have the potential to contain information about the burgh's origins and development. The methods of investigation will include archaeological excavation, building recording and oral history.
The Society have high expectations and have set challenging goals for the project which will run from July 2010 to March 2012, although they recognise that they can only succeed with the hard work of the volunteers and the continuing support and guidance from their key partners, Irvine Bay and Heritage Lottery Fund. The Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project will enable volunteers to learn about the origins and evolution of Kilwinning through participating in the discipline of archaeology. The core elements of the community-led project will include the following:
- archive research into the known evolution of the abbey and burgh;
- building recording of the fabric of the historic abbey;
- archaeological excavation around the burgh to investigate the origins of the secular settlement;
- archaeological excavation within the abbey to explore the evolution of the abbey buildings, and;
- oral history to record the personal accounts of the modern changes that have taken place within Kilwinning's townscape and environment.
Volunteers, with professional support from Rathmell Archaeology, will be involved in historical research, oral history studies, survey, excavation, post-excavation analyses and reporting tasks. The broader community will be able to provide input into the development of the project and to hear about the findings through public meetings, leaflets and internet mounted resources. Through liaison with Historic Scotland and North Ayrshire Council, including the West of Scotland Archaeology Service, the discoveries made will influence the conservation of historic remains and future investigations into the past of Kilwinning.
The Society will be communicating volunteering opportunities, events and their findings through their Facebook Page and Home Page. If you are interested in volunteering, coming along to see the hard work or just keeping in touch please link in to their sites.