We admit it, this pile of mud may not look like much but it’s actually one of Auchindrain’s most unique archaeological finds. Discovered within Eddie’s Garden last year whilst we were digging the rhubarb patch, this is the only piece of clothing we have found underground on site so far. We can’t tell for certain, but it looks like a dark blue shirt made from a rough woollen material, and we know it would have been fastened by buttons as some of the holes have survived.

Auchindrain isn’t set up for major conservation of archaeological materials, but because this material was relatively stable when it came out of the ground we could do it ourselves. The first step was to remove all excess mud and carefully flatten the material out, which involved breaking apart lots of tiny roots which had grown through it when it was crumpled up. The material was then washed whilst sitting on netting, which gives support but also allows mud to flow away freely. It was then dried slowly in the fridge, which prevented it from becoming misshapen from drying out too fast. It will be housed within our store of archaeological materials, along with thousands of other finds from our site.