|
Graveyard specialist Dr Susan Buckham, director of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, visited St Brides Chapel in Lamlash last Saturday.
She talked to members of Saving St Brides Chapel Arran Group (SSBCA) and explained how to understand some of the history in the Lamlash graveyard.
The group was formed last year to help preserve the gravestones in the pre-Reformation chapel of St Brides in Lamlash cemetery. The chapel contains stones from many generations of Arran families and has fallen into a state of disrepair over the years.
This work is being undertaken as part of a wider project to understand and conserve the chapel being taken forward by the SSBCA group and Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust with the support of North Ayrshire Council.
SSBCA has joined up with the Adopt-a-Monument Scheme from Archaeology Scotland (formerly the Council for Scottish Archaeology) to help them with their research.
Adopt-a-Monument officer Helen Bradley accompanied Dr Buckham last Saturday to help the group get started with using recording forms to identify the material, design, and inscriptions of the stones in the graveyard.
Some of these stones date back to the 17th century and many contain fascinating and unique symbols.
The graveyard recording project will retrieve important information about the significance of the graveyard and this information will eventually be used to assist in the production of a conservation and management plan for this special site.
SSBCA chairwoman Carol Mitchell of Lamlash said: ‘We were told how to properly record information from the stones as well as noting the condition of each stone. Our next job is to make a plan of the graveyard and colour code it into date areas.’
