Archaeological dig reveals village’s last convenience

A team of volunteers spent eight days excavating the last remaining Victorian public toilet in the village – one of an original four in the village which provided an early form of public sanitation.

The operation came about after Ferryden Community Council was approached by a local historian to find out how the remains of the building, on King Street, could be saved. The roof had been removed and the shell filled in by the local council in the 1960s, since when a large bush had taken root and it had become overgrown.

Chairman Graeme Newton took up the issue with his neighbour, who happened to be a professor of archaeology.

Graeme said: “Upon inspection a lovely corner stone stood out as did several other points, which led to his recommendation to carry out an archaeological dig. So that is where it began.

“Emeritus Professor of Archaeology Tim Williams led the dig alone with friend and archaeological colleague Dave MacLeod, assisted by myself along with a couple of volunteers from the village.”

The team turned up a number of items including numerous pieces of pottery and small artifacts were found, most notably some pieces of sgraffito pottery. These were identified as possibly coming from the former Dryleys Pottery in Hillside, as one piece depicted a gable-ended building.

They also found three buckets which had been used in the convenience’s seated areas, although it would have included more originally, and, as the building had no plumbing the arrangements for keeping it clean were basic to say the least.

The layout also indicates that the user experience was more communal than is expected today.

Graeme continued: “There’s scale model of the building in Montrose Museum on display; although this shows four buckets, we now know there was capacity for five.

“The brick structures in which these sat are still almost fully intact. Unfortunately, the single piece wooden bench no longer exists. It is worth noting there were no divisions between the seating areas.

"The entrance area to the toilets housed three urinals which still have the slate dividers on the wall. The floor throughout is in almost new condition.

"We also know that the village scaffy emptied the buckets daily into a cart that was then emptied weekly up the hill at the back of the village.”

The team hopes that the building will be given a new lease of life as a point of interest for visitors to the village.

Graeme added: “Next steps are to remove the buckets and carry out a final clean. This will allow an inspection to identify the conservation options to ensure the building is preserved for future generations to see. We are hopeful of getting a preservation order to protect it too.

“Ferryden in Flower have Seagreen Funding to brighten up the village with plants and also to create a walking trail.

"It will be a Point of Interest on that trail and may even warrant its own storyboard.”