Historic Scotland has announced that renovation work is being carried out at Dryburgh Abbey near Melrose in Scotland.

The project aims to stop water seeping into the abbey’s ornate Chapter House from below ground level to avoid potential damage to the building’s early medieval paintwork and stonework.

A team of archaeologists are digging drainage ditches in the area behind the Chapter House, which may once have been the burial ground of the former Premonstratensian canon residents.

Peter Ranson, Historic Scotland’s district architect, said: “This is a highly important conservation project which has been carefully planned to protect the Chapter House, which is a fabulous piece of Scotland’s heritage. Water needs to be drawn away from the base of the building to stop it seeping through and damaging medieval stonework and paintings.

“As the work is in a particularly significant area of a nationally important site, it is being dealt with as a professional archaeological excavation. Any discoveries will be studied by our experts and will add to our understanding of the abbey and its history. The Chapter House is a superb example of 12–13th century architecture with a high vaulted roof, impressive arched entrance and finely carved stonework.”

A temporary viewing platform has been put in place to give visitors a bird’s eye view of events. An archaeologist is also available on request for 30 minutes twice daily to talk to the public about the excavation until its completion around mid August.

The abbey was built in 1150 by the Premonstratensians, an order founded in 1120 by St Norbert, which emphasised austerity and hard work. Its members were not monks but trained priests and were known as the white canons.

Photograph: Dryburgh Abbey courtesy of Historic Scotland