Archaeologists Uncover Remains of a Blocked Glasgow Footpath Wall
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In short
- Harvie's Dyke was two stone walls built in the 1820s that blocked public access to the River Clyde.
- Glasgow's workers and middle classes used riots, boycotts and lawsuits to win back access.
- Archaeologists have now unearthed parts of the wall.
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The walls were built to keep people away from the River Clyde, and local people pushed back through protest, boycotts and courts. The archaeological find keeps a record of that struggle in the physical landscape. It is a reminder that public access to land and water has often been won by ordinary people.
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From Smithsonian
The rebellion against "Harvie’s Dyke," a pair of stone walls erected in the 1820s, was a triumph for the workers and middle classes of Glasgow, who used riots, boycotts and lawsuits to win back access to the River Clyde
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