What is it that people value about the Caterthuns and what makes them a focus for particular types of activity? Is it the presence of the ancient monuments, or their location in the landscape, or that the route up each hill to the fort makes for a good walk? The pair of Iron Age hill … Continue reading Site Report: The Caterthuns

October would normally see the last open days of the year at Kinneil House, with visitors invited inside the building to view the painted rooms, which date from the 16th and 17th centuries. This close to Halloween, a local volunteer dressed up as the White Lady ghost might well be lurking in the corridors, popping … Continue reading Site Report: Kinneil House and Estate

“Nan grew up here, me, my mother-in-law, a lot of history” (photo exhibit response). “It’s a treasure and they should keep looking after it and the residents”  (male, tenant of 5 years). In January 2017, Cables Wynd House was ‘listed’, i.e. placed on the national list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. The … Continue reading Site Report: Cables Wynd House

Seventy-nine years ago, on 24th May 1941, H.M.S. Hood, Britain’s largest battlecruiser, was sunk with the loss of 1,415 men. Last year, on the anniversary of the sinking, I travelled to Loch Eriboll, on the North coast of Scotland. Although the wreck lies many miles away and few if any of the crew on board … Continue reading Site Report: The Hood Stones

Last year I was privileged to spend just over a month on the Isle of Lewis as part of my PhD fieldwork: one week during the wet and windy month of March; three weeks during the long, sunny days of June; and a few days in early November, before the worst of the winter storms … Continue reading Site Report: Dun Carloway Broch

The Caterthuns are a pair of Iron Age hill forts, sited about 1km apart and each providing wide views of the surrounding landscape. Archaeological investigations have shown that both hilltops have been the sites of multiple phases of occupation. The Brown Caterthun was occupied during the 1st millennium BCE and the White Caterthun from the … Continue reading Brown & White Caterthuns, West of Edzell, Angus

Launched in 1918, the battle cruiser H.M.S. Hood was Britain's biggest warship, earning it the nickname 'The Mighty Hood'. The vessel undertook missions and exercises around the world during the inter-war years before being mobilised for operations at the outbreak of World War II. In 1934, the Hood was anchored in Loch Eriboll, Sutherland. During … Continue reading The Hood Stones, Loch Eriboll

The broch at Carloway (Carlabagh) on the Isle of Lewis is an Iron Age monument that was probably constructed about the 1st century BCE and occupied initially until about 500 CE. Brochs are a type of circular roundhouse or tower construction unique to Scotland. Dun Carloway (Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) is a well-preserved example, with the back … Continue reading Dun Carloway, Isle of Lewis

The Blackhouse site at Arnol, on the West coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, consists of the houses and immediate surrounds of two crofts. At number 42, there is a conserved thatched ‘blackhouse’, originally constructed around 1875, and the 1960s bungalow that replaced it; and at number 39, there is a … Continue reading The Blackhouse, Arnol, Isle of Lewis