Welcome to the Bronze Age Bressay! website
WHAT
Bronze Age Bressay! is a community project that will excavate and rebuild an eroding archaeological site. A prehistoric burnt mound and the structures buried within it will be dismantled and moved to a safe location near the island's Heritage Centre.
WHY
The site has been eroding for many years, and parts of it have already been lost. The local community wish to save what remains, and make it accessible to the public. This is a novel approach to dealing with a severe problem in Scotland, the loss of hundreds of archaeological sites due to coastal erosion. The project will help to raise awareness of the problem, whilst giving visitors an opportunity to see the site and participate in some of the numerous activities planned at the Heritage Centre.
WHERE
The Burnt Mound of Cruester lies on the island of Bressay, Sheltand. Bressay is a ten minute ferry ride away form Shetland's capital, Lerwick. The reconstruction is being built at the Heritage Centre, which is next to the ferry terminal.
WHEN
The project started at the beginning of June 2008 and the reconstruction will be finished by August. The official launch of the new site will be on Saturday 23rd August. Over the coming months and years, a series of events are planned, including talks, Open Days and Living History events. there will be experimental days when stones are heated and plunged into the large tank to try and see what it may have been used for. There will also be pottery workshops, classes in drystone walling, prehistoric technology days, a kids trench and numerous other activities.
There will be three Open Days in the week of the launch (16th - 23rd August), to see the Events Programme, please click here.
WHO
The work is being done as a partnership between the Bressay History Group, The Adopt-a-Monument Scheme from Archaeology Scotland and The SCAPE Trust.
Project sponsors include the Heritage Lottery Fund, Shetland Islands Council, Highland and Island Enterprise and the Shetland Amenity Trust.
This website will be updated throughout the project and beyond.