Prehistoric community remains found near Glasgow castle

The remains of a human settlement dating back thousands of years have been found near a castle in the south-west of Glasgow.

At least five roundhouses and a fenced enclosure that may have surrounded them were discovered during a geophysical survey carried out at Crookston Castle.

The circular timber buildings were described by experts as characteristic of the Bronze Age or Iron Age, meaning the land could have housed a community long before the castle itself was built.

Volunteers from Friends of Crookston Castle and archaeologists from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) worked on the survey over three days last year, and now hope to go ahead with a full archaeological dig at the site.

The discovery is the first time evidence of the site being occupied as long ago as the Bronze Age - considered prehistoric times - has been found.

David McDonald, who chairs the Friends of Crookston Castle, told BBC Scotland News the discovery has been extremely exciting.

He said: "There has been a lot of archaeology done around this site, but until now nobody knew there was this prehistoric site here.

"We can't say yet whether it dates to the Bronze Age or Iron Age, we will need to carry out radiocarbon dating for that.

"What we can say for sure is there were at least five homes built on this site, and there appears to be another two starting on land where the survey stopped.

"There has always been speculation that this was an older site before the castle but now we have evidence that this was a generational build here, where the roundhouses would be demolished and then rebuilt.

"This wasn't people using the land for seasonal stays and then moving on."

McDonald said the discovery was particularly interesting to locals, as Crookston, is traditionally associated with post-war housing estates and more modern history.

About 30 volunteers and pupils from five local schools took part in the work.

Among the volunteers was Mary-Ann Williamson, 62, who grew up near the castle and played there as a child

She told BBC Scotland News: "I grew up right across the road from here, so the castle's always been part of life. I was really fascinated when they mentioned the geology survey.

"Now it's really exciting what we have found. It makes you think 'what was I playing on for all that time?' It just made me go 'wow'. If we can get proper support there is so much this can tell us about the history of Glasgow."

Graphic designer Trisha Robertson has also lived in the area for years and became involved with the friends of the castle group after spotting their social media posts.

"Crookston Castle was the backdrop to my childhood, but it was just something you would go past, look up at, and not think any more of," she said.

"I thought that was as old as it gets, so it's amazing to find out it goes back much further. I'm really hoping there's a dig and we can find out more about what's under there."

The survey was supposed to provide answers regarding the layout of the castle's outer defences and the discovery of the settlement was completely unexpected.

Caroline Nicolay and Thomas Timbrell run Pario Gallico, a company that specialises in living history demonstrations and courses based on demonstrating ancient techniques from the Iron Age onwards.

Caroline said: "Usually in a city environment any past remains are buried under houses or have been destroyed by developments. This space seems to have been preserved and that offers an amazing opportunity to learn.

"It could be houses, it could be workshops. There is also a square in the middle that we do not know what it is. It could be anything from a shrine to a shed there."

Thomas, a professional blacksmith who specialises in historical cutlery, added:

"There is so much potential here. It doesn't seem like there has been a lot of agriculture on top of the original site, so the chances of finding iron items - whether a nail, a knife, an axe head - have increased."

McDonald now hopes to find further funding to progress plans for an excavation of the land and determine the exact date of the settlement.

The survey, which was funded by the Castle Studies Trust, also shed new light on the castle itself.

Within the area enclosed by the medieval moat, work identified structural remains consistent with a chapel built by the Anglo-Norman knight and landowner Robert Croc around 1180.

Evidence was also found indicating walls, possible entrances, and internal buildings within the castle's defended enclosure.

Glasgow's Lord Provost Jaqueline McLaren said the findings "open up an entirely new chapter in Glasgow's story" and offered the chance to better understand communities who lived there long before the city took shape.