It turns out that The Turf isn’t the only legendary 70’s skatepark being dug up. There’s another park in Glasgow, Scotland known as Kelvin Wheelies (more on that name later) that is scheduled to be unearthed. The BBC reports that Scotland’s first skatepark is going to be dug up by archaeologist, to what end? Even they aren’t sure.
Form the BBC:
Now Scotland’s first ever outdoor skatepark is to be resurrected by a team of archaeologists hoping to preserve the site’s legacy.
The University of Glasgow team will work with volunteers and students to undertake excavation and survey work at the former Kelvin Wheelies park in Kelvingrove Park.
Dr Kenny Brophy of the university said the project represented a chance to make sure the skatepark did not become forgotten or lost to history.
The park opened in 1978, hosting the Scottish Skateboard Championship that same year. In 1983 it closed (and was filled in) for the same reason most skateparks of that era closed, “safety concerns” and maintenance costs. Another contributing factor was the popularity of another newer nearby skatepark named Livingston, AKA Livi, ironically designed by the same guy who designed Kelvin Wheelies, Iain Urquhart. If you want to learn more about Livingston and Ian, definitely check out the 2020 Esquire article How a Maverick Scottish Architect Turned Livingston Into Skater’s Paradise or listen to the BBC audio doc Curves and Concrete. Props to Esquire for licensing the headline photo from RAD, Read and Destroy, the 80’s UK magazine.
According to the BBC, “Elements of the original site remain visible near the modern skatepark in Kelvingrove Park. However, there is currently no information available to explain the significance of the site to Kelvingrove visitors or users of the modern skatepark.” So it seems the game plan is to dig it up and provide some sort documentation. What remains unclear is whether or not it will be repaired or actively skateable. The resurrection was supposed to take place August 25-29th. That date has passed and so far there have been no updates.
Scotland’s STV news has another article that has most of the same quotes that the BBC article does, and then some. Neither source mentions how the skatepark got the name Kelvin Wheelies. The park is in Kelvingrove Park near the center of Glasgow, so that explains half the name. Maybe the other half is just due to groovy 70’s naming conventions.
Here’s a current-ish view of the park courtesy of Google Maps. The BBC article has a photo that suggests the parts still visible lie int the trees adjacent to the existing, less interesting named
Kelvingrove Skatepark, although the satellite view makes it seem like there might be more visible in the open area to the northeast as well.
Late breaking news…
Here’s a video from Scottish newspaper the Scotsman, featuring Kenny Brophy, the archeologist leading the project. The biggest surprise may be that DailyMotion is still a thing! Unfortunately, YouTube only has one generic video that appears to be little more than an AI generated slideshow of old images lifted from the BBC and STV articles, occasionally swapping out the the AI read voiceover for a different voice.
We’re all shocked that Daily Motion is still a thing, and you’d be surprised how many outlets Skate and Annoy has outlived… Here’s a gallery of stills from the video in case it disappears one day. That’s Kenny Brophy in the first one. One thing that becomes immediately obvious is that this excavation is being treated as a traditional, legitimate archeology project, and probably an in-field learning opportunity for archeology students. This is quite a contrast to the random Wisconsin skateboarders that showed up uninvited to begin their own rough and and tumble excavation.
That’s all for now. Kenny Brophy has been approached so stay tuned for possible future updates.
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