“Bronze Age burial ground,” someone muttered. Springhill Farm hides secrets far older than its modern houses. This district in Glasgow wasn’t always a residential area. It holds echoes of ancient rituals.
Springhill today is a mix of family homes and business parks. It sits north of the River Clyde. Baillieston and Garrowhill lie to its south. Swinton is to its east.
But before the 1990s housing boom, Springhill Farm held something extraordinary. In 1936, workers made a startling discovery. They unearthed a Bronze Age burial ground. This ground was near where St John’s Church now stands. It was also west of Baillieston crossroads.
Excavations revealed much about Springhill’s past. Archaeologists found at least three cremation burials. They also found six inhumed burials. Pottery was absent so the inhumed burials are hard to date. Two food vessels were discovered. Sadly, no remains were definitively linked to them.
The archaeologists also found some interesting items. Carbonized wood lay near the food vessels. This might have been from a wooden relic. Or maybe it was part of a cremation burial. Two square pits held charcoal and iron slag. These hint at a bloomery. It could have been from the Early Iron Age or later.
One notable find was a cist. It was tongue-shaped and made of small upright slabs. Two large stones covered it. Inside were small pebbles mixed with soil and sand. Fragments of bone, charcoal, and white pebbles lay just outside.
Two food vessels went to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. They offer a tangible link to Springhill’s ancient past. The location of these burials was confirmed. It sits on rising ground, now under crop.
In the 1980s, Springhill Farm transformed. Housing development was approved in 1983. The famous Springcroft Nurseries became a Trading Centre. Baillieston expanded. It became a dormitory suburb. The modern face of Springhill began to take shape.
Today, as you walk through Springhill, remember its hidden history. Beneath the houses and businesses lies a Bronze Age burial ground. It connects us to people who lived here thousands of years ago. The past is not always visible. Sometimes, it waits to be discovered. Keep an eye out. You never know what secrets Springhill might reveal next.