Kilminning Rewilding Project, Fife: Archaeological Geophysical Survey

A geophysical survey, using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometry, was undertaken on 23 - 36 March 2023, to investigate the potential for buried archaeological remains across various areas. This formed part of an archaeological assessment prior to construction of a pond as part of the rewilding of the overall area. The survey areas were located on land to the E of Crail Raceway, formerly Crail Airfield, approximately 2km to the NE of the village of Crail. There is a chapel and graveyard (Kilminning Castle, Canmore ID: 35358) located adjacent to the survey areas. The area due to be investigated by gradiometry could not be surveyed due to tree planting and dense grass. Overall, the GPR survey did not detect responses indicative of definite or very likely archaeological remains. However, the technique did map drains and remnants of a demolished farm steading, suggesting that the technique responded well to the site conditions. The GPR survey mapped numerous amorphous high amplitude responses of unclear origin. In the S of the survey area a cluster of discrete high amplitude responses have been detected. The origin of these is unclear, but they lie within, or just beyond, the footprint of the former buildings associated with Kilminning Farmstead and are likely to be associated with the farm and/or its demolition. The depth of these responses, their incoherent patterns, and their location coincident with the mapped location of Kilminning Farmstead suggests that these are unlikely to indicate cist burials associated with Kilminning Chapel, which have been historically mapped further to the S. A linear trend indicating a known mill race is also clear in the data. A narrow linear zone of low amplitude response is visible in the N of the survey area and most likely indicates a culvert which leads to an open drain visible to the E of the survey area. Additional linear trends most likely indicate field drains.