Gairloch Museum is developing plans to build a full-scale reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse to be part of the Outdoor Museum. Based closely on the archaeological evidence from Achtercairn, we will build the roundhouse using traditional techniques and local materials. It will serve as a new space for education, heritage, and community use - and link to the earliest settlements in our area:

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People have lived and farmed on Achtercairn, above the museum, for nearly 5000 years. In prehistoric times, nearly 200 roundhouses were sited within 20 miles of Gairloch. Today, all that can be seen in the landscape are low circles of collapsed stone. The roundhouse project aims to bring this prehistoric past to life.

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The roundhouse will not be a static exhibit but a working space. Designed to host school sessions, museum programming, community activities and informal drop-in use, it will be freely available to local groups for non-profit events. We want it to feel rooted in place and useful to the people who live here.

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The project will also provide opportunities for training in traditional skills. Working with local and national craftspeople, we are planning a series of short courses in drystone walling, greenwood joinery and thatching. These will run in the months leading up to the build, with some participants going on to help construct the roundhouse itself. We will also offer a fully-funded traditional skills placement for a local school-leaver.

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We are currently in the planning and consultation stage. As part of this, we’ve built a life-size mock-up of the roundhouse footprint and height in the Outdoor Museum and are displaying drawings, archaeology, and roofing materials for people to explore in our Activity Room. We welcome your views and ideas.

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If you’d like to get involved - by volunteering, sharing your knowledge, attending a training course or offering feedback - we’d love to hear from you.