The Kilwinning dig breaks ground

Erica Lockett, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire, lifted the first turf in the Cloister of Kilwinning Abbey on Wednesday 18th August, marking the start of the Kilwinning dig.

The turf breaking ceremony, well attended by volunteers and the general public, launched the first digging season of the Kilwinning community archaeology project.

Immediately after the launch, the dig team, twenty community volunteers and five professionals from Rathmell Archaeology Ltd got started on their first trenches. They are hoping to re-expose and record in detail buried medieval structures that were originally found in 1960s clearance work at the Abbey, but very poorly recorded at that time.

While core funding for the project comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Irvine Bay Regeneration Company there has also been support from local and national companies. Impact Test Equipment Ltd of Stevenston has gifted a range of excavation equipment to the project especially specialist sieves, while Land Engineering has provided site fencing and Past Horizons based in East Lothian has gifted archaeological tools.

Four more weeks of excavation are ahead of the team, but already a range of medieval and post-medieval finds have been recovered. Two trenches have located the line of the arcade, the covered walkway around the Cloister, while another trench has found the north wall of the south range of the Cloister, normally the Eating Hall.

Throughout the excavations the public are welcome to visit, explore the Abbey, discover the past of Kilwinning in the Heritage Centre and climb the tower for a stunning view of the town and Ayrshire. By the end of the first week over 250 visitors had passed through the Heritage Centre with even more walking around the trenches. You can also follow the project and ask questions of the team on Facebook.