Iron Age house on stilts among projects given share of almost £200,000

A reconstructed iron age dwelling, Scotland’s oldest ship, lost standing stones and an important coastal cemetery are all set to benefit from national funding as part of the country’s Year of Coast and Waters celebration.

The Scottish Crannog Centre is among 18 community-based projects sharing £194,349 from Historic Environment Scotland's Coast and Waters Heritage Fund

A pot of nearly £200,000 will be divided amongst 18 community-based projects across Scotland to protect, promote or engage with coastal or waterway heritage.

Grants from £3,000 to £20,000 have been awarded to schemes that will deliver benefits to their local communities through outreach and educational activities, developing traditional skills, enabling repairs to stabilise historic or marine structures and increasing understanding of Scotland’s maritime and aquatic heritage.

The cash comes from the one-off Coast and Waters Heritage Fund, distributed by heritage body Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The Swan, a 200-year-old fishing boat that is now used for educational events and sail journeys aimed at youth and volunteer groups in Shetland, has been awarded £5,000 for new rigging

Beneficiaries include the Unicorn Preservation Society in Dundee, which will receive £19,045 to help safeguard the future of HMS Unicorn - the oldest ship built in Britain still afloat, which is currently at risk.

The Scottish Crannog Centre at Kenmore, in Perthshire, is getting £18,723 to assist with repairs and educational work at its replica roundhouse, which sits on stilts in Loch Tay.

Support has also been awarded to projects which are developing and implementing measures to enhance resilience and adapt to climate change.

This includes £20,000 to improve safety and access to the Smeaton Mole, the outer pier of the A-listed Cromarty Harbour in the Highlands.

A further £19,000 is going to the Whithorn Trust for a community project that will offer training workshops and insights into coastal archaeology.

Urras Sgire Oighreachd Bharabhais Community Company, on the Isle of Lewis, has been awarded £5,000 to help save a graveyard that is at risk of being washed away due to coastal erosion.

Amy Eastwood, head of grants at HES, said: “We are pleased to support these 18 projects as part of our Coasts and Waters Heritage Fund.

“This funding will support a wide range of community outreach activities as well as crucial repairs to historic maritime structures, which not only encourages people to engage with our coastal and waterway heritage but helps to ensure it is protected for future generations.

“From Dumfries and Galloway to the Highlands and Islands, these projects cover a wide geographical spread and showcase the fantastic work that goes on within communities across the country to harness, highlight and help to place a spotlight on Scotland’s diverse coastal heritage.”

Alex Paterson, chief executive of HES, added: “The Coasts and Waters Heritage Fund was launched to empower communities to protect, promote and engage with Scotland’s coastal and waterway heritage as well as adapting to the effects of current challenges such as climate change.

“What the range of projects have shown is that our coastal heritage is a fabric that runs through communities, both in terms of sense of place but also how it has shaped people’s lives as well as how coastal communities are continuing to adapt to the effects of current challenges such as climate change.”

A full list of the successful projects is available on the HES website.

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