NEWS » Local News
Heritage project hits target
Published: 29 January, 2009

THE fascinating history of a North-West Sutherland schoolhouse is about to be made public in a bid to attract visitors to the area. Funding is now finally in place to erect interpretive panels and for archaeological work at the derelict Loch Croispol schoolhouse, which dates back two centuries. Durness Development Group, which is pushing the project forward, announced this week it had finally reached its target of £68,000. Grant aid has come from Historic Scotland, the Highland Legacy Fund and Heritage Lottery.

Development group secretary Ronnie Lansley said: "This is a project that we have been looking at for a long time and we are delighted that funding is now in place."
Work will go ahead in two phases over two years, with priority given to stabilising the building to avoid further deterioration and make it safe for public access. Mr Lansley said: "The schoolhouse is an interesting site in its own right and we want to consolidate the building, research its history and interpret it.
"There is a great deal of potential to research the schoolhouse further using archival material and by investigating the structure itself. We intend to commission archaeologists to undertake limited excavations to shed more light on how it might have looked and functioned."
Loch Croispol schoolhouse was built in 1766 by the Scottish Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. The society, founded in 1709, aimed to spread the protestant religion in the Highlands and Islands.


Mr Lansley said the Loch Croispol project was part of a wider drive by the development group to encourage visitors to North-West Sutherland.

"There is excellent potential to interpret the area sensitively for the benefit of local residents and visitors to the Durness area," he said. "Loch Croispol is part of a bigger archaeological and historical jigsaw and there are other places which have interesting stories to tell about the past.

"We intend to look at related sites and encourage people to go and see them. Examples of such sites would be Balnakeil Church, House and Corn Mill, Laid, Strathnaver Museum and Strathnaver Archaeology Trail.

"We want to help visitors to these sites identify the main types of archaeological features visible such as burial cairns, hut circles, pre-clearance settlement remains and 'improved' agricultural landscapes. We also want to encourage visitors to look for other examples as they travel around Sutherland."

Mr Lansley added that the group's recently completed project at the pre-clearance township of Ceannabeinne was to have its official opening on Saturday, February 7