To mark the Year of Heritage, History and Archaeology, Comunn
Eachdraidh Nis will be carrying out excavation work on the Iron Age
souterrain, ‘Càrnan a’ Ghrodhair’ between the 19th - 30th June. Carnan
a’ Ghrodhair is a well preserved souterrain which lies beneath a World
War 2 look-out post. The WW2 structure was constructed in the early
1940s.
The souterrain which is situated close to the cemetery on
Habost machair is well-known within the community of Ness and many
recall visiting the site as youngsters, during school breaks in the 1950s.
The archaeologist leading the dig will be Dr Chris Barrowman. Chris
lives in Eorodale with his wife Rachel and family. He directed the Ness
Archaeological Landscape Survey, and works as a Heritage Management
Field Officer for Historic Environment Scotland. The Ness Archaeological
Landscape Survey (NALS) was undertaken as part of the Dùn Èistean
Archaeology Project, and recorded over 1500 sites dating from the early
Neolithic to just after WW2.
Visitors are welcome to visit the
site during excavation. This project will provide many opportunities
for volunteering and suit people of all ages and abilities. The
archaeological dig will encourage a ‘hands on’ approach, giving
participants an opportunity to develop new skills and learn more about
their local environment The long-term aim of the project is to
improve the conservation of the structure and, if possible, enable
access to the public at certain times of year. The machair area
surrounding the souterrain is particularly interesting, boasting several
historic landmarks within a one mile radius. Throughout the
archaeological dig, guided walks in both Gaelic and English will be
offered to visitors and a guide to the Habost machair will be published
by CEN. It will be available to buy in the CEN shop and other local
outlets.
If you want to find out more please contact us at CEN. E-mail office@cenonline.org or Telephone 01851810377.
This project is part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Outer Hebrides Leader 2014-2020 programme.