Help shape new geology exhibition

Join the public meeting Wednesday 8 November

Members of the public are invited to join a meeting on Wednesday 8 November, 6 – 7:30pm, in New Lanark, to find out more about the forthcoming Clyde and Avon Valley Geology Exhibition. Click here to attend.

The exhibition is due to open in New Lanark World Heritage Site in December 2017, and will explore how unique geology of the local area, stretching from the Avon Gorge at Chatelherault Country Park in the north, to the Falls of Clyde at New Lanark in the south, has influenced and shaped the lives of people living here - and continues to do so.

Multimedia and interactive exhibits will explore the 400 million years of the Clyde and Avon Valley’s geological story, from Devonian times to the present day. In particular, it will investigate how the retreating glaciers and the changing rivers sculpted the landscape of the Clyde and Avon Valley that we see today. Visitors will be able to find out about the ancient coal swamps, vast ice sheets and powerful rivers that have shaped the land and the people that lived there throughout history.

Research into themes, and both the major and lesser-known geological sites of the region, has been aided by a stakeholders group that includes representatives from the Falls of Clyde Group, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Hamilton Natural History Society.

As well as providing a chance for members of the public to find out more about the sites and themes of the exhibition, the public meeting will also be an opportunity for people to share stories or images connected to the geology of the landscape, for example, from people who worked in the mines, quarries or farms.

The exhibition is being developed by Abound Design and Interpretation Ltd, in collaboration with digital media specialists CMC Associates Ltd. It is supported by SSE Sustainable Development Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund and LEADER supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP).

Mike Spearman of CMC Associates says, “The landscape we live in is so often taken for granted – but even today it has a profound effect on how we go about our lives. For thousands of years it has provided not only our food but also our building materials and fuel. We are keen to learn how people today ‘read’ and understand their geology, landscape, soil and habitat.”

He continues, “The exhibition team are interested to speak to anyone who has stories or images that will help us represent how rocks and landforms have influenced everyday life in the Clyde and Avon Valley, through employment in industries which have involved working the land, like farming, quarrying and mining.”

Members of the public interested in coming along to the public meeting can book here. Alternatively, if they have stories and photographs to share they can contact the exhibition team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The new exhibition follows a geological audit of the Clyde and Avon Valley by British Geological Survey Scotland in 2016. The report identified 12 key sites in the area that tell the region’s geological story, including New Lanark World Heritage Site, The Falls of Clyde and Chatelherault Country Park, which boast 1000s of visitors each year. The sites also include a number of less accessible but equally fascinating sites such as Fiddlers Gill near Braidwood and the ‘Sandyholm Caves’ near Crossford. The exhibition will use multimedia and interactive resources such as film, photography and drone footage to narrate the changing geological story of the area through time.

Ewan Bachell, CAVLP Development Officer says, “CAVLP are really excited to be to be involved in the creation of the exhibition, which will celebrate the area’s rich geology and its diverse links with the region’s economic, ecological and cultural heritage. The underlying geology defines our landscape, and has impacted on every aspect of life in the Clyde and Avon Valleys, from biodiversity and watercourses, to industry and transport.”

The results of the original British Geographical Survey Scotland audit have been published and can be viewed below - click on the ‘Shaping the Landscape’ items below to find out more about each of the sites that were researched.