Iron Age Linlithgow: Arriving in November

We were delighted to welcome members of the Scottish Crannog Centre to Linlithgow Museum last week as plans continue to develop for an exciting new exhibition opening this November.

Together, we will be exploring a very different chapter in Linlithgow's story — one that takes us back around two thousand years to discover what life may have been like for the people who lived around Linlithgow Loch during the Iron Age.

Archaeological research has identified two of the islands in Linlithgow Loch as prehistoric artificial islands, traditionally described as crannogs. These remarkable sites offer a tantalising glimpse into a much earlier Linlithgow, long before the Palace, the medieval burgh and the familiar town we know today.

Crannogs are wholly or partly artificial islands constructed in lochs and other waterways. Although examples are known from different periods of Scotland's past, many have their origins in the Iron Age.

Working with the Scottish Crannog Centre, our new exhibition will explore Iron Age life in and around Linlithgow — from the homes people lived in and the objects they made and used, to the landscape they inhabited and their relationship with the loch.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see fascinating objects from the Scottish Crannog Centre's own collection, helping us bring this distant period of Linlithgow's past vividly to life.

There is still plenty of work to do — and plenty more to discover — but following last week's meeting, plans are developing quickly and we're incredibly excited about what is taking shape.

More details will be revealed over the coming weeks, so watch this space!

Look closely at Linlithgow Loch and traces of a much older landscape remain.