IT is being billed as Britain's first authentically aligned stone circle to have been erected in more than 3000 years, mirroring the rise and fall of the moon on a site of ancient astronomical interest.
But while it may be 4500 years younger than Stonehenge, a campaign is under way to save Glasgow's Sighthill Stone Circle from potential removal with the area in line for a multimillion regeneration in years to come.
An online petition has been launched to preserve the structure, created in the late 1970s by amateur astronomer and science writer Duncan Lunan but abruptly halted when Margaret Thatcher's government came to power, amid claims that removing it would also destroy local wildlife habitat.
The area is being overhauled as part of Glasgow's bid to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Glasgow City Council plans to revamp the entire Sighthill area, regardless of whether its bid for the games is successful, with plans for 830 homes, a new school campus and the demolition of the tower blocks.
The housing proposals would form the centrepiece of the regeneration plans but would involve decanting more than 400 families still living in the flats.
Mr Lunan said the council made clear at a meeting this week that the stones would be removed as part of the regeneration plans, with a walkway planned to go through the centre of the circle and linking with new structures immediately to the west.
He said: "This is quite different from what another council department told me a few months back.
"There has been a steady growth in interest, there's a book due out on the circle and I really thought its time had come. There is no reason why it can't be a major feature of a new Sighthill.
"The most I've been told is the stones could be removed, put in storage and re-erected somewhere else at a later stage.
"The campaign opposing this has really taken off in the past day or so and we're registering public interest to prove this isn't some forgotten 1970s project."
Paranormal aficionado Mandy Collins is behind the campaign and has secured the support of Mr Lunan.
She said: "The stone circle in Sighthill Park is the first stone circle built according to the alignment of the stars in several thousand years. It's one of Glasgow's treasures and can teach youngsters a lot about history and astronomy.
"The city council plans to destroy it to build yet another sports facility, this time for the Youth Olympics. Surely with the Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow there will be adequate facilities without ripping up another part of the city.
"In doing this, they are also going to destroy the natural habitat, and the wildlife in the park. Animals and education are not worth a needless sports village when the city already has one."
Incorporating the line of the midsummer sunset across the city, it was the site of midsummer parties held to celebrate the sun at its highest and most powerful, where bonfires were lit to hail the light and ward off evil spirits believed to roam freely as the sun turned southwards again. The Pagan-style parties continued until the 17th century, when they were halted by the church.
A council spokesman said: "At this stage of the development of the proposal, it is too early to comment on what will be done with the standing stones at Sighthill Park in terms of their location or incorporation into the masterplan for the area."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article