Rubicon & Greater Liberton Heritage Project Make Significant Medieval Discovery in Edinburgh

RUBICON AND GREATER LIBERTON HERITAGE PROJECT MAKE SIGNIFICANT MEDIEVAL DISCOVERY IN EDINBURGH
After an exciting week of archaeological excavation, funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund Sharing Heritage grant at Bridgend Farm steading and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, the trenches are now backfilled for this year. 

The excavations focussed on the site of a medieval chapel constructed in 1518 and unearthed clues which prove there was activity in the area at the time the chapel was constructed and in use. A fragment of possible medieval floor tile indicates a building of high status in the area – showing that it is not just a farm building. Pottery from one trench shows even earlier activity during the 13th and 14th century, demonstrating the area was utilised before the establishment of the chapel. One of the most exciting features discovered was located in Trench 2– a circular stone-lined medieval well which could pre-date the chapel.
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Greater Liberton Heritage Project Volunteers (Rubicon Heritage)

The volunteers from the Greater Liberton Heritage Project did a great job of digging, recording and finds washing under the guidance of the staff of Rubicon Heritage Services. The week saw many visitors to the site, especially on the open afternoon and an enthusiastic scout group had a go at using archaeological tools and successfully completed a pictorial treasure hunt.
Who could have guessed that such an unassuming building has such a fascinating history? We hope this is the first of many seasons of work at Bridgend. It’s now time to start on the analysis and reporting of our exciting finds at Bridgend as part of the process of unravelling the interesting past of this building and area- stay tuned for more news!

The Site (Rubicon Heritage)