Pollock Ring Work
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Iron Age Fort; Hillfort Canmore

In the woods of Glasgow's Pollock Park, this 30 metre (100 foot) diameter Iron Age enclosure is easily missed. It had been thought to be mediaeval, possibly Norman, in date. But excavations in 1959 and particularly 2007 showed it to be likely to be Iron Age.

At first sight there is little more than a roughly circular ditch around a low hilltop. But at the east end of the earthwork is a clear entrance causeway. Along this are a line of kerb stones, and within the central area is a large, roughly-worked sandstone pillar pulled from one of the excavation trenches. The locations of several of the excavation trenches are still very clear. The excavations revealed a paved and cobbled area within the enclosure (check the CANMORE link above for some excellent pictures of the paved area within the trenches) and a well-made paved road leading out from the causeway and east of the enclosure for at least 15 metres (50 feet).

This area of Pollock Park is fairly dense with trees - probably not good for the archaeology, but beautiful for a walk where you can forget you're in the city.

Images ©2016 Martin McCarthy, Theasis Photography

Nearby Sites

3km Crookston Castle Castle
4km Deaconsbank Golf Course Cup and Ring Marks; Millstone Quarry; Dovecot
4km Rouken Glen Cup and Ring Marks
9km Bearsden Bathhouse Roman Fort
10km Carlin Crags Cup Marks
12km Whitehill Cup and Ring Marks
12km Covenanters Stones Stone Circle
12km Craigston Wood Cup and Ring Carvings
13km Moyne Moor Cist; Cairns; Stone Setting
13km Bothwell Castle Castle
14km Auld Wives Lifts Carved Stone; Celtic Heads
15km Craigenkirn Long Cairn? Modern Ruin? A combination?
16km Broadgate Farm Standing Stone
16km Strathblane Parish Church Standing Stone
18km Blanefield Standing Stones; Cairn
20km Stockie Muir Chambered Cairn
(NB: All distances are as-the-crow-flies. Lochs, mountains and beautiful winding roads will make it further. Sometimes much further.)