Imagine uncovering a piece of your childhood buried beneath layers of dirt and rubble—a place where laughter, tricks, and friendships once thrived. But what if the key to solving this archaeological mystery lay in a decades-old chocolate bar wrapper? This is the fascinating story of how a team of archaeologists, volunteers, and modern skaters pieced together the history of Scotland’s first skatepark, a site that had been lost to time. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just about the skatepark—it’s about how even the smallest artifacts can resurrect forgotten memories and connect generations.
Last August, a team from the University of Glasgow, alongside volunteers and students, began excavating the former Kelvin Wheelies skatepark in Kelvingrove Park. Their mission? To determine when the site was filled in after its closure. The skatepark, which opened in May 1978, was once a cutting-edge hub for skaters, featuring bowls, a slalom run, and a half-pipe with names like Jaws, Torpedo, and Bazooka. It hosted events like the Scottish Skateboarding Championship but fell into disuse by the early 1980s due to declining popularity, maintenance costs, and safety concerns. But here’s where it gets controversial: no one could agree on the exact year it closed—was it 1982, 1983, or 1984? The lack of records left the question unanswered—until now.
Speaking with Digging For Britain host Dr. Tori Herridge, Dr. Kenny Brophy of the University of Glasgow highlighted the challenge: “Even the smallest bit of evidence could help us say when this was backfilled, because there is actually no record of when this happened.” The team employed archaeological techniques typically used for sites hundreds or thousands of years old, analyzing soil, rubble, and even discovering two white lines that likely guided skaters during tricks. Skaters of all ages gathered to marvel at the findings, with one young skater describing the experience as “hearing fairytales” about a park unlike anything she’d ever seen.
For Jamie Blair, owner of Glasgow’s Clan Skates and a former member of the Kelvingrove skateboard team, the excavation was deeply personal. “It was a great shame that this park got filled in,” he reflected. “It broke a lot of skateboarders’ hearts. But it was fun trying to find things you remembered from the past—‘oh, this is where that was…’” He added with a laugh, “My other reaction was, ‘Jeez, am I that old?’ I was literally digging up the bones of my childhood!”
The breakthrough came when the team uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts, including a Twix wrapper dated 21 May 1983, and a Penguin biscuits wrapper dated 14 March 1983. These items, along with a hologram sticker of Scottish football legend Denis Law (datable to the early 1970s), provided conclusive evidence: the site was backfilled by May 1983. Kieran Manchip, a project officer with Archaeology Scotland, noted, “The processes are the same with archaeology—you can apply them to any time in the human past.”
But here’s a thought-provoking question: As skateboarding evolves and parks like the Kelvin Wheelies disappear, are we losing more than just physical spaces? Are we also losing the stories and connections that made these places special? Dr. Brophy hopes this excavation will ensure the skatepark’s legacy endures for future generations. For Jamie Blair, it was a chance to relive the past: “I remember the laughs you had, your friends, your teammates. We were just crazy for skateboarding.”
The story of the Kelvin Wheelies skatepark will be featured in an episode of Digging For Britain, airing on 7 January. It’s a reminder that archaeology isn’t just about ancient civilizations—it’s about preserving the stories of our recent past, one chocolate wrapper at a time. So, what do you think? Is it worth preserving these modern relics, or should we let them fade into history? Share your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear your take!
