Trace the Clyde and Avon Valley’s industrial, agricultural and horticultural heritage at a new exhibition launching Saturday 25 March at Flowers of Scotland Garden Centre, Rosebank.

Created from research undertaken by CAVLP Heritage volunteers during the Capturing the Past project, the exhibition offers visitors the chance to put themselves in the shoes of the miners, fruit-pickers, brick-makers and many more people involved in local industries, who helped shape the landscape we know and love today.

Curated to evoke the meandering River Clyde, exhibits will include historic artefacts, Medieval style tiles fired in autumn 2017, textiles, cyanotype photo montages and hanging displays. The artefacts will focus on orchards, glasshouses, brick and tile works, farming and the landscape around Chatelherault Country Park.

A team of volunteers have been working over many months to record and promote the heritage of their local communities.  The team have been engaged in weeks of archaeological survey, research and investigation.  This end of project exhibition showcases the volunteer involvement in uncovering new material evidence of the past and applying new techniques and interpretative skills in relation to the sites.

Gavin MacGregor, Director of Northlight Heritage said, “The CAVLP Heritage team are thrilled to be curating the Capturing the Past exhibition in the Flowers of Scotland Garden Centre glasshouse.”

He continues, “The exhibition presents the results of all the hard work undertaken by the Capturing the Past volunteers over the past year.  They have been recording archaeological sites and exploring archives and documents relating to the production and use of fruit.  It has been wonderful to see the interest and enthusiasm they have had when undertaking this research.  We hope visitors will enjoy learning, in a very unusual setting for an exhibition, about the archaeology and history of the people who worked in agriculture, horticulture and industry of the Clyde and Avon Valley.”

The exhibition will showcase a range of different approaches to exploring local heritage, including archive research, oral history recording, experimental archaeology, photography, archaeological survey and material culture.

The exhibition was created through the Capturing the Past project, led by CAVLP Heritage and managed by Northlight Heritage, with funding from Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) and Historic Environment Scotland.

Robert Scott, Proprietor of Flowers of Scotland Garden Centre said, “Flowers of Scotland are delighted to be hosting the Capturing the Past Exhibition. Many of our customers have a real fondness for this area and frequently share their tales of visiting in their youth, often to pick fruit.”

He continues, “I myself grew up on an orchard in the Clyde Valley and Flowers of Scotland is based in picturesque Rosebank which has a rich horticultural background. Indeed, the glasshouses in which we are based were formerly used to grow the finest Clydeside tomatoes. We look forward to welcoming new and ‘well kent’ faces to this exciting event.”

The exhibition will be taking place at the Flowers of Scotland Garden Centre on Lanark Road, Rosebank, next to the Popinjay Hotel. It launches on Saturday 25 March 2017 and runs for two weeks up to and including Saturday 8 April 2017. It will be open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Please come along to support this event. Entry is free of charge.

To find out more about CAVLP Heritage projects and how you can get involved, contact the team at cavlp.heritage@gmail.com. The current project, Local Landscape Heroes explores the people who both shaped, and were influenced by, the Clyde and Avon Valley. Follow them on Facebook facebook.com/CAVLPHeritage or on Twitter @CAVLPHeritage.

Karen McCusker, CAVLP Heritage Project Assistant, kmccusker@yorkat.co.uk, 01555 661 555