Fare-Well To The Ness…..News From the JRS….
by Bernie Bell - 09:21 on 12 August 2024
Fare-Well To The Ness…..
Sunday the 11th of August 2024, and Mike and I went to say ‘Farewell‘ to the site. It’s not open at weekends, and the dig finishes for the known future on Friday the 16th. We went round the site a couple of weeks ago…..
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16925
……but Sunday’s pilgrimage was for us to stand at the gate - peacefully - look across to the site, and acknowledge/accept the fact that it will soon disappear, and isn’t likely to be un-earthed again in our lifetime.
We parked in the Ring of Brodgar car park, and walked around the left hand side of the Ring – noticing how a ‘Please keep to path’ sign aligns nicely with a track left by folk ‘nipping across’ to gain access when the gates are shut….
I’ve written of this before, and will repeat my message here….
https://theorkneynews.scot/2022/03/14/more-than-just-a-ditch/
Both paths around the Ring have taken a battering in recent years - HES are trying to care for them …
…and help from the public would …help!
Down past the Comet Stone, with its own tiny little garden atop…
And along the road, to The Ness….
Someone had chalked a ‘butterfly‘ mark on the gate post….
This carving has become one of the recurring motifs of the Ness….
https://www.nessofbrodgar.co.uk/behold-the-butterfly-stone/
I took a picture of the site from where we could stand by the gate…
And one of Hoy across the way as it was back then, too….
We raised our sticks in salutation and walked back the way we’d come, past the Ring and its many visitors….
The last time we’ll visit the Ness while it’s above ground. We intend to return, and lean on the gate - knowing the site is there and knowing what was discovered while it was ‘exposed’. That’s enough - for now…
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News From The JRS…..
“News Summary
For more detail please visit our website www.johnraesociety.com which has been redesigned with new branding, overseen by Cheryl Chapman (Chair)
Fit for the Future: preface to the restoration of the Hall
With guidance from Genna Adkins (Project Manager) we have secured a very generous grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund of £248,600. This will enable us to:
- Appoint a Project Manager for a further 14 months and an Events and Learning Co-Ordinator
- Fulfil a number of small projects involving archaeology, school visits, archive research and oral history
- Recruit more people, including trustees, to broaden our existing skills and knowledge
- To continue fundraising for the project Save Hall of Clestrain
Save Hall of Clestrain
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has offered a grant of £500,000. We have to match this funding. We hope to start the restoration work next Spring/Summer. This will involve:
- Replacing the asbestos roof with stone flags, including the 18th century pediment
- Making good the exterior walls with fresh lime render
- Replacing doors and windows, installing temporary grilles in the windows, so that the interior of the building can dry out
- Renovating the interior woodwork
- Painting the exterior white (its original colour)
The building will then require at least a twelvemonth to dry out, during which time we will plan the next phase.
Archaeology
For further details see Aglooka nos. 13 and 16 and www.johnraesociety.com
Early investigation (2021) revealed that the courtyard at the rear of the Hall had been raised by approx. I metre in the mid-19th century and a ‘moat’ created for drainage around the building, enclosed by a low stone dyke. Recent exploration inside the building on the ground floor has revealed first a fireplace and hearthstone at a lower level, and then evidence of a larger fireplace and a flagged floor lower still. This indicates that the building originally stood a full three storeys high, with a surrounding terrace. HES has agreed that the stone dykes should be removed and the landscape restored to its former level.
Map Annotated by John Rae
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire has generously provided us with a high definition of the map they hold in their special collections. It will be on the website and available for download. Please note any public use of it should be acknowledged Courtesy Dartmouth Libraries.
Calendar
As part of our fundraising we have produced a 2025 calendar (see website) featuring photos of the Hall in all seasons. Images were provided by JRS members and a local photographer. The price is £10 a copy.
UK postal charges are: 1 copy £2.10
2 copies £2.50
3 copies £2.70
Up to 8 copies £3.69
You can order online or by email to me. Cheques should be made payable to The John Rae Society
Fiona Gould”
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