Excavation

Date 28 February 2013 - 16 August 2013

Event ID 975818

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/975818

Archaeological excavation and monitoring works were carried out in respect to the development of the Mainshill carpark to support access to the national forest estate including Pickan's Dyke in Dalmellington, East Ayrshire. The carpark lay over a section of Pickan's Dyke itself and required a process of archaeological excavation along the line of the Dyke prior to monitoring works across the full carpark area. This work was hoped to add to earlier excavation works which had been carried out at the eastern end of Pickan's Dyke last year (Gordon et al 2012). The excavation works identified that the ground had been disturbed by a large amount of made ground and dumped material, so that little of the original bank material had survived. In contrast, the base of the ditch was revealed to still remain fully intact across the carpark area. The recording and excavation of what remained of the bank and the ditch did not recover any artefacts and little was found in dateable material. As such, the date of Pickan's Dyke still remains unknown. The monitoring works across the full carpark area, did not identify any significant archaeological features in the area beyond the Dyke itself.

Information from Oasis (rathmell1-153422) 19 December 2013