IT was billed as Britain’s first authentically aligned stone circle to have been erected in more than 3,000 years, an inner city Callanish whose removal sparked one of the more unusual tussles with Scotland’s biggest council.
But four years on from a high-profile campaign backed by acclaimed authors, rock musicians and leading scientists, it has emerged that work will begin in months to restore Glasgow’s Sighthill Stones.
In 2012, Glasgow City Council had appeared destined to bin the stones before planning to move them elsewhere in the city. Now, following their removal from the site last year, the structures are in safe storage as preparatory work for their return in one of the UK’s biggest regeneration projects gathers steam.
New images, revealed today, show how the Sighthill Megalith will look as part of a new park just yards from its previous home.
It will be located on the original site selected during their construction but deemed unsuitable due to multi-storey flats obscuring the horizon sight lines. The new site will be aligned correctly.
Top soil from the former site, where ashes were sometimes scattered by grieving loved-ones, has also been removed and will be returned.
Created in the late-1970s by amateur astronomer and science writer Duncan Lunan and John Braithwaite, father of rock band Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, the stones were part of the national Jobs Creation Scheme in which £4 million was offered to Glasgow and its parks department on the condition a series of special projects would be created. But just a fortnight after the stones were put in place, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government came to power and the project was halted.
Although they remained in place, the council had earmarked them for removal as part of the £250m regeneration of Sighthill, triggering one of the highest-profile and unexpected campaigns in the city in recent years.
Bands including Mogwai, Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat, Eugene Kelly, Emma Pollock, and RM Hubbert played a benefit concert to Save The Stones, while prominent critics of the council’s plans included Astronomer Royal, Professor John Brown, writer Alasdair Gray, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and artist Douglas Gordon.
Frank McAveety, leader of the city council, said: “The regeneration of Sighthill will see the transformation of an area of Glasgow with fantastic potential. Not only will there be 800 new homes, a new school campus and more greenspace through the neighbourhood, but crucially Sighthill will have the connections to the city centre and surrounding communities that have been limiting the area for so long.
“The standing stones will be one symbol of the area’s regeneration when they are relocated in a fantastic setting within the new Sighthill Park.”
When the stones were removed in April a time capsule was recovered from their foundations, with the contents intact and due to be reburied unopened. They included books from astronomers at Glasgow University, drawings by the area’s schoolchildren and a message from the Lord Provost, all from the spring equinox of 1979.
Mr Lunan said he first visited the new location in 1978 “and I immediately said this is where it has to be”.
He added: “Before the campaign to save the circle, I wasn’t aware of how many people have been using it, and in how many different ways. “ Mr Braithwaite said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the Sighthill Stone Circle is to be relocated and form part of the new development. I was incredibly proud to be part of the campaign to keep them, especially because of my late fathers involvement in their creation. It’s great that they will live on for future generations of Glaswegians to enjoy.”
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