Brora Salt Pans - 16th and 18th century

Salt production was an important industry in early modern Scotland. During the late sixteenth century Jean Gordon, Countess of Sutherland, ordered the construction of salt pans at the coastal site of Brora. Nearby coal deposits provided fuel for sea-water to be heated and salt extracted. In 2009 a community archaeology project excavated the Brora Salt Pans. The site was scanned and digital reconstructions created showing the probable appearance of the pans in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. At the time of the dig the site was under threat from coastal erosion. Sadly, bad storms in 2012 and 2013 have now washed away the majority of the archaeological remains – highlighting the importance of recording at risk locations before they are destroyed. The Brora Salt Pans project was a collaboration between Clyne Heritage Society, the SCAPE Trust, Timespan Museum and Arts Centre, and the University of St Andrews.

Sarah Kennedy, Iain Oliver, John McCaffrey, Alan Miller

Joanna Hambly (University of St Andrews)

A digital landscape was created using survey data and height map. Models were created in 3D modelling programs and imported into OpenSim (an online, opensource, cross-platform, 3D multi-user virtual environment). The models were then scaled, orientated and assembled. The landscapes were populated with flora and fauna. Where applicable, models of characters and animals were imported and animated.