Glasgow, Partick Castle

Archaeological desk based study carried out on Glasgow Harbour by FIRAT Archaeological Services.

Partick Castle continued in use into the eighteenth century, being described c 1710 as ‘a well built and convenient house, well planted with barren timber, large gardens, inclosed with stone walls’ (quoted in Leishman 1845, 692). The tower was unroofed and ruinous by the 1780s, when it was quarried for the building of an adjacent farmhouse (fig 3.20; Napier 1873, 22, 33–4). For some years it had been let to tenants, the last of these leaving around 1770, and it was finally demolished in the 1830s.

Information from ‘The Scottish Burgh Survey, Historic Govan: Archaeology and Development’ (2009).

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken on a series of four test pits between 9 April and 9 May 2015 by GUARD Archaeology Limited. All test pits consistently showed disturbance and made ground up to a depth of 5.0 m where testing reached this depth over a culvert. None of the test pits revealed any evidence of former ground levels or topsoil horizons surviving.

Information from GUARD Archaeology Limited.

NS 5598 6634 A watching brief and excavation was

undertaken, 9 November 2015 – 7 September 2016, during groundworks associated with the re-development of Castlebank Street and the installation of a major water drain. The work included monitoring of borehole drilling, and the removal of overburden from the full length of the

working area for the drainage tract as well as the adjacent development and covered the area from the existing rivers edge to the boundary of Castlebank Street.

A number of archaeological features were uncovered including two substantial intersecting ditches, and several distinct phases of structural stonework, probably relating to the 17th-century Hutcheson’s tower house and the earlier 12th-century bishop’s residence. A large assemblage of medieval and later ceramic was recovered, along with several metal objects, including a decorative pin and a copper alloy decorative boss. Most of the features were fully excavated while others not affected by the development were preserved in situ.

Following on from the main excavation another area towards the southern and western edge of the Kelvin River was investigated. Only 19th- to mid-20th-century structures survived in this area. It is likely that the levelling of the area along with the deep concrete foundations, the construction of the foundry and later the railway and the most recent concrete retaining wall, will have truncated any remains that may have survived prior to the 19th century.

Archive: NRHE (intended)

Funder: Peel Holdings, Scottish Water and Downing

Beth Spence – GUARD Archaeology Ltd

(Source: DES, Volume 17)

NS 5598 6634 GUARD Archaeology Limited undertook an archaeological watching brief during groundworks across the western area of high ground on the proposed development at Castlebank Street, Partick. This was with the original aim of producing a terrain model and section to estimate the levels of prior disturbance across the western area through stripping a 5 m wide trench north/south across the area, however several features of archaeological significance were encountered during the removal of overburden. These comprised a large north-east/south-west orientated ditch containing a stone culvert, a substantial stone wall, a sandstone well, as well as further north-west/south-east orientated ditches and associated features to the north and south of the main features. A range of material culture, mainly green glazed ceramic of Medieval and late Medieval date was recovered during initial investigations, suggesting that the features may be associated with the seventeenth century Partick Castle and the earlier twelfth/thirteenth century Bishops Castle. Some features were fully excavated based on the development requirements, however it is proposed that the surviving remains are preserved below and within the footprint of the proposed development. This work was undertaken between 9th November 2015 and 8th January 2016.

Information from Beth Spence - Guard Archaeology Limited.