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Lochlea Crannog

Lochlea Crannog

The site at Lochlea crannog, also known as Lochlie or Lochlee, was a small loch on the grounds of Lochlea Farm, near Tarbolton in South Ayrshire. The 19th century saw many changes to the land on this site. This treeless, rain-soaked moorland was drained 1840 only to become marshy again and be re-drained in the 1870s. However, these fluctuations in the condition of the land revealed an interesting archaeological discovery - an artificial island. Before it was artificially drained for the first time, this small island would emerge in the summer months and provided a safe haven for nesting birds, yet no one had ever surmised it was once a dwelling site for some of our early human ancestors.

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