As part of the Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project, preparations are under way for an oral history project which will record local people’s memories of the town’s built environment. A team of local volunteers will be talking to people about their memories of the Abbey and other historical buildings in the town as well as the 1960s dig and the Main Street.

Gillian Nelson, a volunteer who is helping to co-ordinate the oral history project said that “This is a fantastic opportunity for the people of Kilwinning to share their memories of the town and create a rich record of the past for future generations, and it can be a rewarding experience for interviewees too”. The oral history project forms a part of the wider Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project which has been commissioned by the Kilwinning and District Preservation Society. Andy Baird, the Chair of the Society, described the oral history interviews as “an important and exciting part of the Project, and makes local history much more attractive and accessible. This may be the first time an historical archive like this has been done in Kilwinning, and the aim is to preserve the actual living memories of ordinary people who have grown up in the town. Everyone’s parents or grandparents have stories to tell about life when they were young, so we’re hoping for some interesting stories to come out of the interviews”.

Last summer, a team of volunteers working with Kilwinning firm Rathmell Archaeology made lots of exciting discoveries including a medieval roofing slate with a game carved into it and volunteers have just finished cleaning and cataloguing all of the finds from the trenches around the Abbey. As prepaprations get under way for this summer’s dig, Susan Rees of Rathmell Archaeology said “Archaeology is about discovering our past, but it can involve more than just digging holes in the ground. Oral history is about people recalling memories of their town, this can often reveal more about the historic changes in a town than excavation can unlock. We are looking forward to seeing what this work can add to our understanding of Kilwinning's past.”

If anyone would like to take part in the oral history project and share their memories of the town, on a one-to-one basis or as part of a group, just phone Gillian on 01294 552689 or email kilwinning.memories@gmail.com . You can keep up to date with all of the latest developments on the Kilwinning Community Archaeology Project’s Facebook page.