Another archaeology Open Day on Cross Tay Link Road site

There’s another chance to take a look at the excavation of an Iron Age Fort just outside Perth.

Following the success of the first archaeology open day, GUARD Archaeology, who are leading the dig, are inviting the public to come and see more of what has been found.

The site is an Iron Age Fort and is being stripped back to reveal its archaeological secrets before construction of the Cross Tay Link Road commences.

Members of the public are being invited to come along and find out more about what’s being uncovered from 12-2pm on Saturday, 23 April.

‘We had a lot of interest about what we are doing here the first time we opened the site up to the public, so we are sure there is more demand to have a look at what we are doing,’ said Warren Bailie from GUARD Archaeology who is leading the investigation.

‘Of the 4,000 prehistoric forts found across Britain and Ireland, around 1,500 are in Scotland and of these very few have ever been excavated and then only partly. The total excavation of Broxy Kennels Fort is a great opportunity to examine an Iron Age settlement in its entirety,’ added Dr Ronan Toolis, the project’s Academic Advisor.

The Cross Tay Link Road project involves the construction of a new 3-span bridge over the River Tay and six kilometres of new road linking the A9 and the A93 to Blairgowrie and the A94 north of Scone. It also includes the realignment of two kilometres of dual carriageway on the A9 just north of Inveralmond Roundabout.

The new road will significantly reduce traffic congestion and related pollution in Perth city centre, and will open areas for sustainable development. It is the largest infrastructure project Perth and Kinross Council have ever undertaken and is being constructed by BAM Nuttall Ltd.

One part of the site that archaeologists are particularly interested in is a souterrain. Souterrains are underground passages, built with stone or timber walls, which were probably used for the storage of food surplus. Souterrains are a particularly important aspect of the Iron Age in Scotland because they are not found in England other than Cornwall.

‘The excavation at Broxy Kennels Fort may shed light upon why Iron Age societies across Scotland were open to the building and use of souterrains but that societies further south were not,’ added Ronan.

Anyone interested in getting involved can register their interest at [email protected]

For more information on the Cross Tay Link Road project go to the website Perth Transport Futures.