18 August 2009

Media Releases

Historic Scotland has sponsored the underwater archaeology fieldschool in the Sound of Mull to encourage public interest in the recording and conservation of Scotland’s underwater heritage. This follows the introduction of the Marine (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament, a bill that includes mechanisms to improve protection and management of Scotland’s world-class marine heritage. Philip Robertson, Historic Scotland’s Senior Inspector of Marine Archaeology, said: “Scotland has some incredible wreck sites that have fascinating stories to tell. The Swan, where we took the students to dive, was one of three ships lost in a Commonwealth flotilla that attacked Duart Castle (Mull) in 1653 in order to stamp out pockets of Royalist resistance to republican government in the aftermath of the English Civil War. Archaeological investigations of this very well preserved historic wreck over the last decade have helped to shed light on a little known aspect of Scottish maritime history.”

18 August 2009

Media Releases

A multi-million pound project which aims to restore Aberdeen’s historic Green to its former glory officially launches today [Tuesday, 18 August]. The Green Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) has been set up to tackle the problems of rundown historic buildings and streetscape where long-standing economic and structural decline have undermined the character of the architecturally-rich area. The launch event at the Carmelite Hotel will be attended by council leader John Stewart, chair of the Green THI board; head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland Colin McLean; project ma

18 August 2009

Media Releases

Stirling Castle has launched its own exclusive tartan as part of its work towards the 2011 Stirling Castle Palace Project.

14 August 2009

Media Releases

This Sunday a free and fun day out at Holyrood Park offers families the chance to take part in a unique scientific survey - and find out all about the amazing range of wildlife and plants to be found not only in the Park, but also throughout Scotland and further afield. BioBlitz - which has been jointly organised by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers Scotland (BTCV Scotland) and Historic Scotland - is a fusion of science and community engagement involving hundreds of volunteers descending on a nature hotspot to record all of the wildlife species that can be found there over a 24-hour period. Expert recorders will be carrying out scientific-led studies on Saturday (when the 24-hour recording period commences at 3pm) and on Sunday, the BioBlitz event is open to the public from 11am to 4pm. All the volunteers who come along then will be being invited to participate in a range of surveys of wildlife species. They will also be able to join survey walks led by an expert, to log any species identified and location details.

14 August 2009

Media Releases

Scotland is a country graced by an enviable legacy of historic buildings and monuments. These buildings and monuments not only enrich the lives of the people who live in Scotland but which also play a vital role in attracting others to visit our country and enjoy our culture and history. In this way they are an important cultural and economic resource. The interest, both at home and abroad, in our heritage is huge and as well as generating economic benefits through tourism, it can support and encourage investment in businesses, local communities and the wider Scottish economy. All of this means that Historic Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, has a crucial role to play in managing our the historic environment in partnership with others.