Geophysical Survey

Date April 2011

Event ID 966094

Category Recording

Type Geophysical Survey

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/966094

NS 96894 72516 In April 2011 members of the West Lothian Archaeology Group, including architectural historian Geoffrey Stell, viewed the architecture of Torphichen Perceptory, originally the Scottish headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, to examine its potential for further investigation. After viewing the Knights’ Garden, the group considered the area to the SW. At the lower end of the Bow Yett are the possible remains of the S gatehouse of the Preceptory, located adjacent to the exterior wall of the 18th-century Glebe gardens.

After a brief examination of the 13th-century remains of the gatehouse it was decided that the Glebe gardens may contain further remains of the tower itself. An examination of the gardens revealed a low raised bank in the area that could have housed the original tower, a position that would have overlooked the road N towards the fortified monastic settlement. The visibility of this feature increased when it was photographed in the near infra-red.

After consultation with the owner it was decided that an earth resistance geophysical survey could be performed across the area. A single 20 x 20m grid accommodated the survey area and a high sampling resolution was used to record the feature in detail. The results suggest that there is a low circular bank, with an outer diameter of 15m, surrounding the possible remains of a smaller, 4m diameter circular structure, off-centre towards the N, with a possible entrance on the SE side. This could reflect the foundation remains of the outer wall, with the tower base within the hollow. Although the presence of a modern gas main in the middle of the area would make any intrusive investigation difficult further work remains a possibility.

West Lothian Archaeology, 2011