Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (S.W.A.C.S.)

03/11/2022

What an amazing time we had at the Well Cave tours. Despite the weather being a bit on the rubbish side we had a good turn out and lots of exploring the cave which is just littered in graffiti.

29/10/2022

Well Cave Open Day 2022

There have been some cancellations for tomorrow's Well Cave tour, so we've made another 12 tickets available - snap them up here:

Open day to allow the public to see inside Well Cave and learn the history of this special place.

08/10/2022

Help protect the Wemyss Caves, organized by Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society

Funding appeal! It’s been a big last 12 months for the caves. Starting with the installation of the all-weather path, it ended with the installation of the gates that will protect the precious Pictish carvings at night. We got grants for that work, but everything else we do relies entirely on volunteers and donations. We want to take the next steps towards the caves not just paying their own way but providing local employment. To do that, there are more improvements that need to be made so we’ve launched a one-off £10,000 fundraising appeal. You can read all about how we’ll spend it on our fundraiser page. We know that there’s not a lot of spare cash out there right now but every little bit will help us do more to preserve, celebrate and study a unique place in the history of Fife and Scotland.

The Wemyss Caves in Fife contain dozens of ancient symbols carved int… Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society needs your support for Help protect the Wemyss Caves

05/10/2022

Well Cave Open Day 2022

It's that time of year when we open up Well Cave. The walls are covered with the names of local people from when it was used for the long forgotten Handsel Monday celebration each year. Maybe your ancestors are in there? Learn all about how the cave was used, the story of the secret passage to Macduff Castle and more in this special tour on 30th October. It involves a short crawl to get in and out. Numbers are limited because of space so you'll need to book here:

Open day to allow the public to see inside Well Cave and learn the history of this special place.

02/10/2022

Raffle announcement

First of all a huge thank you to everyone who participated in our raffle for Jimmy the bear. We are happy to announce he has a very good home to go to.

Our winner came from the green book AD 862443 with the winning green strip 226 to 230 was drawn by our last visitor on Sunday 25 September.

167 strips were sold raising an impressive £334. Thanks to all the book holders and participants once again. We hope you can take part in our next one!!

11/09/2022

Falkland Hill Fort Dig 2022

Some familiar faces appearing in this video about the Lomond Hills Hillfort. Very interesting stuff coming out of the site

02/09/2022

Irene Bray from East Wemyss and McDuff Community Council officially cut the ribbon for the grilles last Sunday!

With this brings some overnight protection to the caves. We would like to take this chance to say that they will still be open during the day for visitors to come and see them.

01/09/2022

Great day on Sunday when we both inaugurated the new grilles at the caves and dedicated a picnic table to one of our founder members, Frank Rankin.

Thanks to everyone who came along, and to our volunteers for everything from litter picking to catering.

12/08/2022

This is a really important time for the caves and we would like your help.

The installation of the protective grilles this summer is a huge step forward towards protecting the caves for future generations and creating a safe and pleasant environment for local people and visitors to enjoy this priceless heritage.

We'll be able to look after the site much better, but to do what's needed we're looking for more volunteers to help.

The gates are expected to be in operation from the start of September and we are gathering a team of volunteers to help lock and unlock the gates at Court Cave and Jonathan’s Cave.

The volunteers will also pick up litter along the way, which should lead to a huge improvement in the care and cleanliness of the whole site.

Our aim is to open the gates at around 9am each day and close them around 5pm or dusk, whichever is the earlier. We expect it to take 30-45 minutes each time.

We'll draw up a monthly rota in advance. You can do as many mornings or evenings as you like – and you don't have to commit to doing every week.

All equipment will be supplied and volunteers will always work in pairs in the evening.

If you're interested, please head over to the volunteer form at https://wemysscaves.org/news/help-protect-the-caves/ or let us know by leaving a comment here.

If you have any questions, or any difficulty using the form, please let us know.

29/06/2022

Grilles update. Things are now moving very quickly on site with the completion of the sections at each end of the Court Cave passage, and most of those within the main chamber. The team will shortly move on to Jonathan's Cave to start building the grilles there.

24/06/2022

Protective grilles to be installed on site

Back in 1986, SWACS was founded after a car was driven into Jonathan's Cave and set alight, resulting in the destruction of an important panel of Pictish carvings. As a result, barriers were erected at Jonathan's Cave, but the design and materials used proved inadequate for the location and were soon breached.

Since then, there has been no protection of the nationally important heritage that can be found at the Wemyss Caves – in particular the precious and unique Pictish carvings.

Every weekend over the summer months, we clear up and document evidence of bottles smashed against the cave walls, spray painted graffiti over the carvings, fires inside the caves and drug use. These constant damaging impacts of a very small minority of people using the caves are putting the survival of the carvings at risk.

Three Covid-disrupted years ago, we began investigating options for measures we could take that would allow as many people as possible to enjoy the site while ensuring its precious contents are protected. Our consultation process with the local community and others showed overwhelming levels of support for protective grilles that could be locked at night but open during the day.

We can now announce that, thanks to significant grants from Historic Environment Scotland (through the Historic Environment Repair Grant programme) and Fife Environmental Trust (through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund), these protective grilles will be installed at Jonathan’s Cave and Court Cave this summer.

Some of you may have noticed that work has already started with the removal of the brick wall at the village end of the Court Cave passage. This will be replaced with a metal grille and there will be a lockable gate at the other end of the passage. Other grilles and gates will be installed inside Court Cave, to protect the wall where the carvings are concentrated, and at the entrance and side chamber at Jonathan’s Cave.

Working with our conservation architect, we have managed to create structures that will incorporate images from within the caves they will protect. They are currently being fabricated by Kirkcaldy-based contractors Legge Steel and will be installed in the coming weeks.

We are exploring ways of funding the eventual employment of a site warden, but initially we will open and close the gates every day using our own team of volunteers. If you live within easy reach of the caves and would like to join our team you would be very welcome. Just let us know in the comments or email [email protected]

24/04/2022

This 1,800-year-old silver signet ring depicts Silvanus, the Roman god of the countryside 🌳

It may have been pressed into beeswax or clay to seal and authenticate Roman documents - although it was found beyond the frontier in Moray: https://bit.ly/3jaDrYE

(📷 National Museums Scotland)

15/04/2022

Wemyss Caves - a hidden world of stories

Perfect season to come and see the caves as we have our weekly tours on Sundays.

21/03/2022

Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society

Bookings are now open for our guided tours in April and May. As well as our usual full-length tours, this year we are also offering shorter tours for those less mobile or more rushed for time. Whichever tour you choose, you'll see thousands of years of history and many of the famous Pictish carvings. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/save-wemyss-ancient-caves-society-11265673534

Guided tours and other events at the Wemyss Caves on the Fife coast. Home to the famous Pictish carvings and thousands of years of history.

17/03/2022

In Memory of the Michael Colliery Disaster 9th September 1967

A book of poems dedicated to the men who worked, as well as those that perished at the Michael Colliery. It is written by local man Freddy Dickson, who grew up in East Wemyss and worked at the Michael himself. Many of the poems are based around real-life experiences, about mining, growing up as a boy in East Wemyss, and about life itself, the funny, the sad, and the satirical.

If they take your fancy we have them available in our shop. £5 and you can read the poems;
https://wemysscaves.org/shop/books/poems-on-mining-life-and-laughter-freddy-dickson/

07/03/2022

Volunteers at the SWACS Museum were delighted recently to welcome pupils from East Wemyss Primary School’s P6 – P6/7 groups along with their teacher, Mrs Ellicott, and two teaching assistants as part of a nationwide schools local heritage project.

More than one child described the whole experience as ‘mind blowing’ and several said that they had ‘learned so much’.

To read more details of the sort of things the children explored take a read of the entire post on our website!
https://wemysscaves.org/tours-and-education/east-wemyss-primary-school-children-visit-to-the-swacs-museum/

05/03/2022

Opening of the new path at the Wemyss Caves
Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (SWACS) are delighted to announce that the new all-weather path, funded by Paths for All and designed to allow users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters access to Court Cave, has now been officially opened. Members of Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers came along last Sunday to help celebrate the occasion and try out the path. SWACS gave them all a special guided tour, taking in Court Cave and Doo Cave. In Court Cave they were able to see many of the intriguing Pictish carvings which make this site so famous. And Doo Cave is one of extremely few caves in the whole of the UK that was adapted to be used as a dovecote by the carving of nesting boxes into its walls. It is just a little way along the coastal path from Court Cave and although there was no suitable way of taking the group right inside, nevertheless the wide entrance enabled everybody to see into it very easily while the guide explained its history.

Levenmouth Area Convener, Cllr Ken Caldwell, a long-time member and supporter of SWACS, said: "The Wemyss Caves are an important local and national asset. It is important that access is available to everybody who wants to visit and the provision of this path will make that more a reality. Well done to all involved!”

These two caves – Court Cave and Doo Cave – make up the content of a new tour to be offered to the public for the first time when the new season starts in April. It will be aimed at users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters along with other people who are on foot but not wishing to climb all the steps or face the rougher terrain on the longer tour. The new tour will be run alongside the regular version which explores more of the site. The tours will all be bookable via the SWACS website: wemysscaves.org.

And don’t forget, there is still a way for those on the shorter tour to experience the rest of the site’s features. They can go online and try out the virtual tour which is available via the Wemyss Caves 4D website: 4dwemysscaves.org.

04/03/2022

The colourful, ammonite shaped ceramic wall mural in School Wynd was created in the Millennium year by imaginatively combining designs submitted by local school pupils for a
FACET (Fife Arts and Crafts Training) Community Arts Project. In fact the East Wemyss Mural Project was the first Specific Community / Social Art Project undertaken by FACET.

The intention was to create a 16 foot circular mural for the wall opposite the Primary School based on local themes, including coal mining, fishing, the sea, flora and fauna, vernacular housing and fossil rich geology; it even features the Wemyss Swan emblem and the famous Pictish carvings in the nearby sea caves. The spiralling ammonite design encapsulates the unique history and geology of an area so deeply influenced and shaped by its proximity to the sea.

Each ceramic panel is different in style and shape, reflecting the imaginative work of every individual child involved in the project. With the whole piece wrapping around a central panel which features a fish and a star. It really is a remarkable art work.

What is uncertain, however, is whether the mural is in any way connected to the Michael Swinton Brown commemorative plaque that shares the same wall. Does anyone recall being involved in the project and whether or not the commemorative plaque predates the ceramic mural?

19/11/2021

Thanks to funding from Paths for All, our excellent contractor Dialadigfife.com and hard work from a team of volunteers, this week we installed an all-weather path into Court Cave from the Fife Coastal Path for wheelchair users, mobility scooters, pushchairs etc. We have sown native wildflowers in wide strips along the side of the path and will sow a second batch in next Spring. Huge thanks to everyone who helped!

01/11/2021

Interesting short video about the affects of future and current climate change on the caves and what possibly lies ahead for them

Will unique Pictish carvings in Scottish caves survive sea level rise?
Click on this three minute video to find out more.
https://youtu.be/DBKx386W1Ok

Historic Environment Scotland University of St Andrews Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society (S.W.A.C.S.)

25/10/2021

Several SWACS members were at Falkland Stables yesterday evening for the unveiling of a memorial bench to Dr Oliver O'Grady who tragically passed away suddenly last year at a young age. Olly was well known and inspirational to many of us at SWACS who took part as volunteers in the community archaeological excavations he led in Fife, particularly at East Lomond which he established to have been a major Pictish hillfort. The bench will sit looking up to the Lomonds and is decorated with Pictish symbols similar to those we have at Wemyss.

23/10/2021

That's why we wear a hard hat!!

Very successful venture into the Well Cave on castle green. We've loved the opportunity the be able to show this cave to the public and hope that people have enjoyed the crawl into the Well Cave.

Hopefully this means we can offer this again so keep an eye on us for any future events

21/10/2021

Well Cave Open Day

We've had some cancellations for this Saturday's Well Cave Open Day so there are now ten tickets available again - you can snap them up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/well-cave-open-day-tickets-188877145627

A one-off open day to allow the public to see inside Well Cave and learn the history of this special place.

09/10/2021

Well Cave Open Day

We have organised a one-off open day to allow the public to see inside Well Cave and learn the history of this special place.

The Wemyss Caves are famous for the ancient Pictish carvings that have been adorning their walls for over 1,500 years, but did you know that there are traditions, stories and indeed other carvings that have accrued over the many years since the time of the Picts, connecting the caves to people who maybe still live in the vicinity? Perhaps the cave that best illustrates this wealth of local material is the Well Cave, but unfortunately – due to a rock fall within – it has been closed for the last couple of years. Now, however, SWACS have assessed the risks and put in place the necessary mitigations to enable a special one-off open day to allow the public to see inside. So, if you want to learn about Handsel Monday, or find out about the well which gives the cave its name, or perhaps discover whether there really was a secret tunnel connecting to the castle above, then sign up for this special day! SWACS guides will be on hand to es**rt you and introduce you to the fascinating and unique history of this space.

Please note that you must be able to crawl a short distance (not more than 2m) through a very low tunnel to get into the main chamber of the cave. Also, it is not recommended if you are claustrophobic.

The cave being an enclosed space, it will be necessary to limit numbers in order to keep everybody safe, so you must book your place in advance at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/well-cave-open-day-tickets-188877145627

Eventbrite - Save Wemyss Ancient Caves Society presents Well Cave Open Day - Saturday, 23 October 2021 in East Wemyss, Fife. Find event and ticket information.

05/10/2021

Due to unforseen circumstances we have had to push the date of the Paths for All gardening days. The new dates are 17th to 19th November.

If anyone who originally showed interest in helping volunteer could you get in contact with us again and if these dates allow you to help take a look at the original post below

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4326092314093136&id=442024969166576

04/10/2021

Craw Stane, Rhynie, Aberdeenshire - Download Free 3D model by Douglas Ledingham [885d821] - Sketchfab

We often refer to the Craw Stane on our tours with an image - here it is in 3D!

You'll see a fish carving similar in Johnathans Cave

Https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/craw-stane-rhynie-aberdeenshire-885d821975ee42e2bb6ce9cfc6fd33ac

The Class 1 Pictish Symbol Stone known as the Craw Stane is a rectangular block of grey granite, measuring 0.9m in breadth and 0.4m wide and 1.85m in height set in a concrete base. Its SW face bears the incised figure of a fish and, immediately below it, a Pictish beast. The symbols are grooved, pec...

16/09/2021

Wemyss Caves tour

As a belated contribution to last weekend's Fife Doors Open Day, here's a tour of the caves featuring some of our volunteer guides filmed by Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk earlier this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBEc3cnC9M

SWACS members give a guided tour of some of the Wemyss Caves and their ancient carvings

07/09/2021

Coastal Gardeners Needed

We are delighted to say that we have secured a grant from the Paths for All Partnership for the construction of a short, all-user, all-weather path linking the Fife Coastal Path to the main entrance to Court Cave. This will allow for the first time users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters easy access to view the Pictish carvings in Court Cave.

It is a condition of the grant that the Society matches the Paths for All funding with an “in kind” contribution, which in our case will be volunteer labour. The hard graft will be done by machine by our contractor, so our main job will be to barrow away the excavated earth to create cultivation beds to be sown with wild flowers and grasses appropriate to this coastal location.

The work will be carried out over three days, from Wednesday 13 October to Friday 15 October. If you can volunteer for all or part of all or any of these days, even if it is just for a few hours, please drop us a line at [email protected]

Barrows and some tools will be provided, but if you can bring your own spade, fork or rake that would help. Our Visitor Centre will be available for toilet and kitchen facilities.

11/08/2021

Wemyss Caves Pictish Carvings - Guided Tour and Museum

Delighted to announce that following the lifting of most covid restrictions we have made more tickets available for every free guided tour between next Sunday and the end of October. If you've been trying to get on a tour but missed out because of the shortage of places, here's your chance. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wemyss-caves-pictish-carvings-guided-tour-and-museum-tickets-152328587907

See the Pictish and other carvings on the walls of the Wemyss Caves on the Fife coast.

08/08/2021

Some more photos of the now finished Macduff Castle model, complete with its outer wall and planting. Again, huge thanks to Jim Hughes and TWIG for an amazing piece of work constructed from scrap and donated building materials.

06/08/2021

Two photographs on display in SWACS’ Museum & Visitor Centre feature groups of musicians posed in outdoor settings. Sadly we have no names or dates for any of these guys. Can anyone help us identify them?

In one image members of the Michael Colliery pipes & drums (note Wemyss Swan symbol on the big drum) are seen resplendent in highland outfits along with three men in day suits. It is thought this photograph was taken sometime in the 1930s, but where or why it was taken we don’t know. From what can seen of the sign on the building they are outside a ‘Registered Office’.

In the other image we see members of a brass band posed with a trophy mounted on their big drum. Could this be the Michael Colliery Brass Band? We have no date or any other details for this photo. The pantiled cottage holds no clues either. We do have the photographer’s details - ‘King of Kennoway’.

East Wemyss had two brass bands, the first founded by the 10th Fife Artillery Volunteers, active 1870, became a civilian band and folded in 1897. The second band was constituted the same year.

Most collieries had a band, Methil and Buckhaven Miners Brass Band is still going strong. So is this the Michael Brass Band?

Can anyone help identify any of them?

03/08/2021

Residents of East Wemyss may have noticed the brand new model of Macduff Castle which was put in place at the weekend and occupies the space where the boat planter used to be on the sea front. The model was built by Jim Hughes of TWIG and donated to SWACS, for which we’re extremely grateful. There is a little bit of planting to be done to finish it off but it’s a fantastic contribution to the site and attracting a lot of admiring looks. Great work Jim! The model was based on our virtual reconstruction of the castle which you can see in this film we made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLA2S8VMJT4

23/07/2021

Guided tour of the Wemyss Caves

Join archaeologist Joanna Hambly of the SCAPE Trust and Mike Arrowsmith, chair of SWACS, for a guided tour of the caves and their Pictish carvings and an introduction to some of the problems faced due to erosion and climate change. The tour will use the interactive digital 3D models of the site and is presented as part of Climate Takeover Day at the Festival of Archaeology.

20/07/2021

Wemyss Caves Pictish Carvings - Guided Tour and Museum

We have now added a couple of extra spaces on each of our fully booked Sunday tours and also released tickets for September and October. So if you've been trying to book and haven't managed it, hurry before all the new spaces are gone! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wemyss-caves-pictish-carvings-guided-tour-and-museum-tickets-152328587907

See the Pictish and other carvings on the walls of the Wemyss Caves on the Fife coast.

18/07/2021

BBC ALBA - Slighe Chladach Fiobha (Fife Coastal Path), Series 1, Episode 3

BBC Alba are currently running a series all about the Fife Coastal Path and this Tuesday's episode, at 8:30pm, includes a section about the caves filmed earlier this year. The programme is in Gaelic with English subtitles - like many place names in Fife, Wemyss itself originated in Gaelic when it was widely spoken here for several hundred years after gradually replacing Pictish from around the 10th century. It literally means "the place of the caves". https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000y2jx

Exploring from Dysart to Elie. A’ siubhal bhon Dìseart gu Ealaidh.

03/07/2021

Wemyss Caves Pictish Carvings - Guided Tour and Museum

A cancellation means we now have some spaces on our free guided tour at 2pm on Sunday. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wemyss-caves-pictish-carvings-guided-tour-and-museum-tickets-157590981869

See the Pictish and other carvings on the walls of the Wemyss Caves on the Fife coast.

28/06/2021

Has anyone lost a pair of glasses?

These were found in Court Cave yesterday during the 2:15 tour. If you or know who these belong to shoot us a message as we have them at the visitor centre at The Haugh.

22/06/2021

We are pleased to announce the launch of Julie's latest design in the range of our Pictish-themed knitted hats, the Pictish Hunter, inspired by a carving in Court Cave. This carving is sometimes known as Thor and his goat, but we take that with a pinch of salt, firstly because the figure is not holding a hammer like Thor's, but a Pictish spear with its distinctive "doorknob" base, seen in other Pictish carvings, such as the Collessie standing stone; and secondly because Thor didn't have a goat - he had two, named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr, mystical goats who pulled his chariot, and you can't have one without the other.

So we think this may be an image of a hunting scene, with our redoubtable hunter about to bring some venison home for dinner.

Like all our hats, this is knitted in 100% merino superwash wool, no synthetics, just natural fibre, and they are available from our online shop at www.wemysscaves.org at the giveaway price of £10.00.