Garden digs planned for Kirkwall town centre

July 31, 2016 at 4:00 pm

Excavation under way in the Royal Bank of Scotland garden, in Kirkwall, in May.

An “archaeology extravaganza” is to be brought to Kirkwall’s town centre later this week, as The Kirkwall Garden Dig is launched.

Thursday will; see the launch of the project, which is the product of a team-up between the University of the Highlands and Islands Achaeology Institute and Scotland’s Urban Past.

It will see six garden digs launched in the town centre, visits to one of the digs in the BBC Radio Orkney Garden and community archaeology workshops held.

Willing participants will also be asked to become “Urban Detectives” and contribute to the nationwide archaeological record with the Scotland’s Urban Past TEAM.

The project is part of The Kirkwall Townscape Heritage Initiative Archaeological Programme, ‘Discover Hidden Kirkwall.’

This initiative has already uncovered parts of the medieval shoreline of the town of a previous excavation held in May 2016.

It is hoped the Kirkwall Garden Dig will increase the knowledge of the heritage present in the town by helping local residents dig five test trenches in their garden and get hands-on with hirstory in data gathering workshops for local volunteers.

To find out more or volunteer to become an ‘Urban Detective’ email daniel.lee@uhi.ac.uk or ring 01856 569225.