Though it might make someone feel old, a Scottish skatepark from 1978 is set to undergo archaeological excavation—with help from the city’s skaters who once hung out there.
Kelvin Wheelies in Glasgow was a radical design when it first opened to host the first Scottish Skateboard Championships. It incorporated a half pipe, several bowls, and a dual slalom run.
Just 5 years later, however, a dip in the popularity of skateboarding combined with a lack of maintenance led Kelvin Wheelies to be closed down and eventually buried under ruble and overgrowth in Kelvingrove Park.
Speaking with the Guardian, Dr. Kenny Brophy, a lecturer in archaeology at the University of Glasgow, who’s helping to organize the excavation said it was an opportunity to explore the city’s modern heritage.
“Glasgow city council spent £100,000 building it, which was a large investment at the time and it was designed with skaters in mind, and for teenagers who were involved in an activity that many people deemed to be antisocial and marginal,” he said.
It’s not everyday that archaeologists excavate with the help of people who were active at the site they’re digging down into, but with Kelvin Wheelies, that’s exactly what will happen for the volunteer excavation efforts.
MORE ARCHAEOLOGY: A 16th c. Scottish Plaid was Found in a Bog–Now Becomes Oldest Historical Tartan Available to Wear Today
Part of the university’s New Audience’s program, volunteers will work alongside middle-aged skaters who once used the park to dig several trenches down to the original concrete with hand-tools, just as if they were excavating a Roman villa.
SCOTLAND NEWS: Awesome Bridge Swings Back and Forth to Allow Boats to Pass Over Long-Divided Scottish River (LOOK)
Their hope is that they may expose some original 1980s graffiti.
“It’s such a rare opportunity for an archeologist that we’ll be digging the site with people that used it,” said Dr. Brophy said. “We’ll have skateboarders on site who used the park as teenagers and will be re-living that experience at the end of a trowel.”
SHARE This Rare Archaeological Opportunity With Your Friends…
