Caerlaverock Castle is at the forefront of a pioneering project to see how heritage sites can become a “well used resource” for local communities.
Britain’s only triangulated fortress is run by Historic Environment Scotland and is noted for a seige in July, 1300, involving Edward I.
Now, thanks to a new project called “Creative Caerlaverock” – led by the Dumfries-based Stove Network in partnership with HES – it is central to the development of “new and innovative approaches to heritage”.
The creative learning and inclusion scheme will work across the arts, heritage and sciences to develop skills, increase confidence and support wellbeing through storytelling, history, creativity and technology.
The first phase has just got under way and is encouraging Dumfriesshire residents to “feed into the future possibilities” of one of Scotland’s iconic landmarks.
This will lead to an audio-visual spectacle for the public at the castle in early spring.
The community engagement phase will be using pop-up historic interactions and immersive “ancestral suppers” to involve the public and encourage participation from a wider audience.
In addition, social media will be used to encourage people to ask a question of Caerlaverock Castle about its past, present or future.
Over the coming months there will also be a series of events to support equality through providing inclusive access and participative opportunities for those who are “under-represented” or not currently engaged with heritage.
Martin O’Neil, artistic director of The Stove Network, said: “Creative Caerlaverock is an immensely exciting project.
“It has the potential to align the arts with heritage through a local lens to experiment, to play, research and evolve radical new interpretations of the role historic sites and places have in our collective understanding of the world, as well as determining the value and meaning of these places for our future generations.”
Creative engagement lead for the project DJ McDowall added: “Heritage can be a misleading word.
“Many people associate it exclusively with old stuff but our heritage exists in the here and now – it’s dynamic.”
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to use a local site to inspire creative learning, support inclusive access to heritage and provide participative opportunities for local groups who might not have otherwise had the opportunity.”
