A TEAM of hardworking volunteers have worked to show what a Tweeddale farm was like in its heyday.

Volunteers with the Peeblesshire Archaeological Society who undertook a long-running dig at Shootinglee - the old farm south of Traquair - will now host a public talk to share their findings.

Shootinglee had been long abandoned but held a rich history dating back to the 15th century.

An archaeological society spokesperson said: "Working at weekends, a hardy team of volunteers has gradually built up a picture of what life was like at Shootinglee in those centuries.

"It has been a seriously challenging dig at times: over the years, the team have had to shift massive boulders, remove tree stumps and put up with swarms of midges but their efforts have really paid off.

"One of the main successes has been the location and excavation of a previously unknown peel house of the Stewarts that was burnt down in the 17th century.

"Peel houses were built in the border counties of Scotland by ‘bonnet lairds’ who had possession of small estates in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

"Other structures investigated over the course of the project include a free-standing cattle byre, a peasant byre-house, outbuildings and a garden plot all of similar date to the peel house."

Now that the dig is complete and the volunteers have worked to finalise their research and put it into a report.

The spokesperson added: "By piecing together the results of documentary research, field survey and excavation, the Society’s project is set to be a significant contribution to our understanding of the story of rural settlement in southern Scotland during the Late- and Post-Medieval periods."

The public talk on Thursday, March 7 will see Dr Piers Dixon share the results of the project at Shootinglee.

The talk will take place at St Joseph's Church Hall, Rosetta Road, Peebles at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £6, with free refreshments included.

Attendees can pay on the door or to guarantee a seat they can book in advance at: www.peeblesarchsoc.org.uk

Proceeds from the evening talk will go towards the cost of the society's final report on the Shootinglee project.