AN archaeological project which unearthed stunning sites of national significance will be featured on a BBC TV programme this week.
Filming for Digging for Britain took place last September, with a film crew visiting to capture footage of the work by archaeologists and volunteers from the Waggonway Project who were searching for evidence of Scotland’s oldest railway, between Tranent and Cockenzie, and the salt industry it served.
Following the on-site filming, Waggonway Project chairman and historian Ed Bethune was invited to film the studio work with celebrated presenter and anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts, to explore in more depth some of the finds from the dig and discuss the significance of the unique archaeology which was uncovered.
Ed said: “We were delighted to be selected to be featured on Digging for Britain.
“It’s just reward for all the hard work our volunteers have put in over the past few years, and it’s very exciting to be able to share our remarkable discoveries with an even wider audience.”
READ MORE: Archaeologists’ stunning finds are of 'national significance'
The excavations uncovered an unprecedented three phases of wooden railway from the early 18th century, with the salt pan site revealing rare remains of the internal workings of a salt pan house spanning two centuries of use.
In September, archaeologists and community members from the 1722 Waggonway Project returned to two sites where exploratory digs had been carried out, searching for remnants of the salt and coal industries.
The primary site of Scotland’s earliest railway, the Tranent Waggonway, where the Waggonway path crosses the Prestonpans battlefield between Cockenzie and Meadowmill, was constructed in 1722 by William Dickinson – its function was to bring coal from the pits at Tranent to the salt pans at Cockenzie and Port Seton.
During the dig, at which archaeologists were aiming to find the original track-bed structure, the main trench revealed three wooden railways, each one lying immediately on top of the last in an apparent multiple early upgrade over a short period of time.
Additionally, the salt pan dig on the Cockenzie shoreline also surpassed all expectations, with two phases of salt making being revealed, spanning from 1630 to the last phase of use around 1780, which is unique in Scotland. The phases were well preserved and the deep ash pits and remnants of the iron grate, upon which coal burned in the furnaces, survived in “amazing” condition.
The Waggonway features in episode three, shown on January 6 on BBC2; it can be watched online at bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00135s7
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