Living on the Loch: exploring inland crannogs

There are two crannog sites within the park and, although neither are visible above the water today, finds from the site paint a vivid picture of life here in the Iron Age. As well as information on how they built their houses on water, excavation has recovered fragments survive from the seats they sat on, the vessels they drank from, the jewellery they work and much more.

This theme was brought to you by service users at Glasgow Association of Metal Health and guests from the Crannog Centre. It was part of Seven Lochs: A History Shaped by Water, supported by Historic Environment Scotland as part of the Year of Coast and Waters 2021

A short history of Lochend Loch crannog
A Short History of Bishop Loch crannog
What is a crannog?
How did people build crannogs?
What was it like living in a crannog?
Why did people live on the water?

Exploring Iron Age Crannogs

As part of Seven Lochs: A History Shaped by Water project we were tasked with exploring iron age crannogs. We did plan to meet up in the park but the pandemic struck and we were not allowed to meet up in groups, even outside at this time. So, we explored remotely. The Crannog Centre took us on digital tours of their reconstructed crannog and showed us the finds form the excavation at Loch Tay crannog.

We also explored iron age crafts such as jewellery and bread making. We did this digitally as a group using a kit that had been delivered to us before the online tutorial – we even received sheep’s wool from Kenmore for our weaving! We have created a short video so you can hear our reflections on the project.