The delivery phase of the Designing Utopia project has come to an end, with efforts now turning to completing the relevant reports.
Over November the team were out at Bellshill Golf Course surveying fragments of surviving sandstone built wall, which lie in the area once occupied by the accommodation block, Liberty Hall, of the Orbiston Community. This is an important step in acknowledging and recording the archaeology of this fascinating 19th century site.
Sessions followed with finds workshops with the OurSpace adult learning group in Bellshill and with volunteers from the project at the Forgewood Community Centre and with another workshop as part of North Lanarkshire Council’s Community Learning and Development teams International Men’s Day event, which included adult learning groups and young people from local youthwork groups. Everything from modern golf balls and bottle glass to 19th century construction material, ceramic to medieval pottery tells a story of human activity in this landscape over the centuries. The sessions showed the value of archaeology to contemporary society and the way the past can bring people together in the present.
Thanks to everyone who has taken part in the project, all the partner organizations in North Lanarkshire and our Funders, Historic Environment Scotland. Keep posted for the reports and fingers crossed a return to fieldwork in 2026!
Surveying the Golf Course
Dr Eddie Stewart shows participants peat coring at Glen Etive
Inspecting our Designing Utopia Finds