Projects

user guide

Several thousand abandoned rural settlements and farmsteads across Scotland have been recorded and mapped by RCAHMS. However the majority of these have not yet been surveyed in any detail. Taken together, these represent an invaluable record of Scottish rural life during a fascinating period of change that spans the agricultural and industrial revolutions and the clearances.

If we are to better understand this important part of Scotland's past and help preserve it for the future, we need to identify, investigate and document these rural settlements in all areas of the country, and make this information available for wider research and public interest. SRP has initiated over 60 community-led projects across Scotland since it started in October 2006. If you are interested in starting a Rural Past project, we would be interested in hearing from you, although we may not be able to offer the same level of training and support as previously as our resources are now mainly focused on supporting our existing projects.