College of Arts & Humanities

Season 5, Episode Three – Uncovering Kelvin Wheelies

With Dr Kenny Brophy

Countless stories could be told about Kelvingrove Park and its ever-evolving role in Glasgow’s 850-year history and the lives of the city’s residents. In the early 1980s, it was home to Kelvin Wheelies, a skatepark once hugely popular with local teenagers and professional skateboarders from across the UK alike. Now, it lies hidden, buried at the heart of the park with few traces to signal its existence.

Dr Kenny Brophy joins Cia on the podcast to discuss the story of Kelvin Wheelies, recounting its place in the city’s modern sporting history and in the memories of Glasgow’s skaters. He highlights the role of contemporary archaeology and the methodologies archaeologists can use in order to explore events and sites from recent memory.

In summer 2025, Dr Brophy led a team of archaeologists, students, volunteers from Archaeology Scotland’s New Audiences project, and former Kelvin Wheelies skaters to excavate the skatepark.

Listen to find out what they discovered.

Learn more about Dr Kenny Brophy and his research:

• Dr Kenny Brophy

Visit Dr Brophy’s blog, The Urban Prehistorian:

• The Urban Prehistorian

Follow Dr Brophy on X @urbanprehisto:

• @urbanprehisto

Find out more about Kelvin Wheelies & the excavation:

• Archaeologists invite public to help 'excavate their memories' of Scotland’s first skatepark

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First published: 26 November 2025