"Excavations at Cathcart Castle, Glasgow, 1980-81" with Dr. Brian Kerr

The remains of the towerhouse at Cathcart partially collapsed in late 1979, and in thorough Glaswegian fashion were then made safe by means of almost complete demolition. An excavation of the site was then carried out under the sponsorship of Glasgow Museums, and the results were eventually published in 2016 with the generous support of Historic Environment Scotland. The sequence of development from the construction of the tower in the mid-15th century through to 17th-century expansion was revealed, and analysis of the ceramic assemblage also suggested the presence of an earlier settlement from the 12th-15th centuries. Most dramatic of all was the discovery of a large clearance assemblage relating to the partial demolition of the site in the middle of the 18th century. This produced evidence not only for the decoration of the interior of the tower, but also for the lives and tastes of its inhabitants in the first half of the 18th century.