Archaeologists invite public to help ‘excavate their memories’ of Scotland’s first skatepark
Published: 20 August 2025
The archaeological fieldwork is being supported by Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and will help to preserve the legacy of Scotland’s first skatepark, with opportunities for the public to get involved.
University of Glasgow archaeologists are inviting members of the public to help them "excavate their memories" of Scotland's firest skatepark
The archaeological fieldwork is being supported by Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and will help to preserve the legacy of Scotland’s first skatepark, with opportunities for the public to get involved.
The public are invited to contact the project to share memories, video and photographs of the original Kelvin Wheelies, which will form part of an online archive for the skatepark and help with future fieldwork.
The state-of-the-art skatepark opened in May 1978 with bowls, a slalom run and a half-pipe (or “hauf-pipe”) and was initially hugely popular. It hosted several competitions, including the first national skateboarding competition in Scotland, the 1978 Scottish Skateboard Championships, where Glasgow dominated the Bowl Riding competitions.
However, growing concerns about maintenance costs and safety led to the park’s closure then burial by 1983. Elements of the original site remain visible adjacent to the modern skatepark in Kelvingrove Park today, but there is currently no information available to explain the significance of this site to Kelvingrove Park visitors, or users of the modern skatepark.
Archaeologists at the University of Glasgow have also partnered with Archaeology Scotland’s New Audiences programme to invite volunteers from asylum seeking and refugee communities to participate in the fieldwork, to continue the programme’s efforts engaging marginalised communities in uncovering Glasgow’s sporting heritage.
Jamie Blair, owner of Glasgow-based skateboarding shop Clan Skates, former member of the Kelvingrove skateboard team and former Scottish skateboard champion, said: "When Kelvin Wheelies opened in 1978, skaters from all over the UK flocked to this radical new facility. A park team was formed and for the next few years Glasgow was the dominant force in Scottish skateboarding. Sadly, a dip in skateboarding's popularity in the early 1980s and the construction of a rival skatepark in Livingston saw the decline of Kelvin Wheelies, with the main bowlriding area buried in time. I'm thrilled that through this project we have a chance to rediscover it."
Dr Kenny Brophy FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and project leader, said: “There is a very real danger that this skatepark, a place that was so special for hundreds of young people just decades ago, will become forgotten and lost. Contemporary archaeology allows us the opportunity to explore even fairly recent events and places to jog memories, combining traditional archaeological fieldwork techniques with interviews and documentary research.
"In the case of Kelvin Wheelies, this is a unique opportunity for a generation of skateboarders to relive the excitement of their youth and excavate their own memories of a place that was so special to them.”
As part of a broader programme of research into the site, the £1,102 grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Scotland’s oldest antiquarian society, will help to preserve the legacy of Scotland’s firstwill enable experts at the University of Glasgow working with volunteers and students to undertake excavation and survey work at the site of the former Kelvin Wheelies skatepark in Kelvingrove Park. From 25 to 29 August 2025, the team hopes to learn more about the current condition of the skatepark and ensure that “a central part of modern Glasgow’s sporting heritage” is recorded.
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland supports high-quality research and publication relating to Scotland’s past by making several grants and awards twice each year. This round awarded a total of £17,478 to 11 projects researching an aspect of Scottish history or archaeology, including 19th-century Scottish tea merchants and the global interactions in China, female emigration from Shetland and Skye to Australia during the Great Famine of 1845-51, and the dating of Viking ship stems from the Isle of Eigg.
Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: “As a charity, we are especially grateful to our thousands of Fellows across the globe, whose subscription fees enable us to distribute these grants each year. If you’d also like to support our work, please consider becoming a Fellow to help cover the cost of high-quality research into Scotland’s past”.
Share Your Memories
To share memories, please contact kenny.brophy@glasgow.ac.uk or use #KelvinWheelies when posting on X and Bluesky.
The team also encourage visitors to the excavation on the site in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow from 25 to 29 August where they will learn more about the project.
Kelvin Wheelies
- Sessions at Kelvin Wheelies were £1.80 for three hours at the state-of-the-art site, with bowls, a slalom run and a half-pipe (or “hauf-pipe”) - with names like Jaws, Topedo and Bazooka - as well as adjacent freestyle area, an associated ticket booth, café and toilets.
- More information can be found in Jamie Blair’s blog for North Skate magazine: https://www.northskatemag.com/blogs/north-latest/kelvingrove
First published: 20 August 2025