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Dig (even) deeper: recording the ruins of Brunell township

Exciting new technology means you can now experience the archaeological site of Brunell township from the comfort of your own home. 

As described in a previous blog, the low stone walls and earthen banks of Brunell township were recently uncovered in Glen Brittle Forest on the Isle of Skye. Likely dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the township includes a range of houses, byres, barns and corn-drying kilns, all now visible following a careful harvesting operation.

We commissioned a detailed aerial survey by Skyscape Survey. There were 28 buildings recorded, clustered together with fields and stock enclosures to form a small clachan (or township), set on terraces on the north side of the Allt Dabhoch burn. The survey has been presented as a 3D terrain model that is now available on Sketchfab.

3D model of Brunell township on the Isle of Skye. The top shows the hill-shaded basic terrain model, lit from the south, highlighting the footings of the buildings. The bottom shows the real colour terrain model which uses photography to present the site as it looks from the air.

The view in the image above looks down onto the township. The hill-shaded basic terrain model (top) has been lit from the south, highlighting the footings of the buildings, while the red close contours (set one metre apart) help the viewer appreciate the changing ground surface. The real colour terrain model (bottom) uses photography captured during the survey to present the site as it looks from the air. Both 3D models allow the site to be viewed from any angle. 

 

This innovative new form of archaeological measured survey (and the different ways of visualising the models) is being tested on a range of sites with the aim of unlocking a new form of archaeological illustration. 

A note on forestry of the past

As an industry, we've come a long way since this site was planted in 1977. The practice of modern sustainable forestry has matured and there's now a lot of forest management regulation and guidance that wasn’t around back then. With the UK Forestry Standard at the forefront of the modern approach to forestry, all forests and woodlands need to be managed sustainably and balance economic, social and environmental requirements. Nowadays, land management planning and routine pre-harvesting checks help to safeguard significant archaeological sites.