Outreach Events
Perthshire Archaeology Week returned this year (29th May to 6th June), under the banners of Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and Perthshire Tourist Board. Derek and Mark Hall of Perth Museum and Art Gallery led a series of well-attended guided walks around Perth, despite the damp weather. Adrian and Chris Fyles supervised the Cottown community archaeology project, carrying out a survey and excavation of an outbuilding to the north of the Old Schoolhouse at Cottown in the Carse of Gowrie. Local volunteers, some of them old friends of SUAT, as well as some new faces, learned the techniques of standing building recording and excavation in a very picturesque location; birds were singing and the sun broke out on at least one occasion, helping to make the experience enjoyable for all concerned.
Adrian also led an activity day for schoolchildren at Huntingtower Castle, and following his popular talk on the Horse Cross excavations during last year’s Perthshire Archaeology Week, returned to give an update on progress made in understanding the site, along with an account of SUAT’s recent investigations at St John’s Kirk and in Skinnergate.
In June, Catherine was invited to Archaeolink Prehistory Park near Oyne in Aberdeenshire to take part in an ‘animal awareness day’. Children and adults alike enjoyed rummaging in the sawdust box, which was filled with bones and small artefacts such as pottery and pieces of clay pipe picked up on the edges of fields, old copper pennies and so on. Despite what we would think of as the recent age of most of the material, small children are thrilled to ‘find’ these bits and pieces and some of the enjoyment always rubs off on us wearied old archaeological lags! The good will generated by attendance at these events always pays back the effort of getting there. In August, Adrian took part in an archaeological ‘fun day’ for families at Perth Museum.
Adrian was invited by Stirling Council to give a presentation to the schoolchildren and parents involved in the design and launch of a new play area at Darnley Street, Stirling, where he and Fraser Stewart had carried out an archaeological evaluation last year. A child-friendly talk about the evaluation was followed by a very popular presentation of the finds evidence. The children had used some of the finds as inspiration for the design of decorative elements in the play area.