Climate change could seriously affect historic sites such as abbeys in Scotland

Weathers such as flooding and coastal erosion are partly to blame for making these places prone to damage.

Historic Environment Scotland report that Ewan Hyslop, Head of Technical Research and Science at HES, said: “Climate change poses a number of very real threats to Scotland’s historic environment, from an increased frequency of extreme and unpredictable weather events to rising sea-levels.”

Cambuskenneth Abbey is subject to coastal flooding and groundwater flooding and fluvial flooding (a river exceeding its normal capacity).

Inchcolm Abbey sits on an island in the Firth of Forth and is home to the best-preserved group of monastic buildings in Scotland. It ranks ‘Very High’ because of risk of coastal erosion, slope instability, groundwater flooding and coastal flooding

Other abbeys on the list include Dryburgh Abbey, Deer Abbey and Culross Abbey.

St Blane’s Church on the Isle of Bute  is one of the earliest Christian sites in Scotland and also records ‘Very High’ risk of slope instability. 

These sites will now undergo a priority assessment to identify mitigation requirements, including in-depth environmental studies, as well as site visits and collecting of staff observations on the ground.  

A study by Historic Environment Scotland into the effects of climate change on buildings in Scotland show over 300 sites are at risk because of climate change.