Plans to rejuvenate 'Glasgow's answer to Stone Henge'
- Published
Mr Lunan wants to remind people of the stone circle project
A local amateur astronomer and science writer is hoping to rejuvenate a stone circle in the shadows of Glasgow's Sighthill tower blocks.
Duncan Lunan organised the construction of the circle more than 30 years ago to accurately mirror the rise and fall of the sun and moon over the city.
It was claimed to be the first authentically aligned stone circle built in Britain in about 3,000 years.
Construction stopped prematurely after the 1979 Tory general election victory.
Mr Lunan hopes the site can once again host equinox and solstice celebrations similar to those which occurred in Scotland until the 17th Century.
He conceded that although they do find evidence of fires and discarded bottles "whether they are observing the festivals is another matter".
Unfinished work
There are still four stones hidden away on Broomhill in Sighthill Park. Mr Lunan said: "Two were planned to be due east and west marking the sunrise and sunset at the equinoxes.
Efforts to erect the stones came to a halt towards the end of the 70s
"What we would like to do with the other two would be to put a plaque on them and explain why it is there, who built it and who it is dedicated to."
The circle was built to honour four academics from Glasgow University. According to Mr Lunan it was these Scottish thinkers, led by Professor Alexander Thom, who really "put the UK on the map" in the field of megalithic astronomy.
Mr Lunan would also like to restore the original stones to their correct height and put in a path for wheelchair access.
The cost of the works has been estimated to be about £30,000.
Glasgow solar system
Building on this project, he hopes to scale the solar system to the city boundary using the Sighthill stone circle to represent the sun.
The plan would see stones representing Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars in Sighthill Park, Jupiter on Strathclyde University Campus, Saturn by the Science Centre, Uranus and Neptune on Maryhill Road and Pluto on Cathkin Braes.
Mr Lunan will be holding an illustrated talk on the Sighthill Stone Circle at the Ogilvie Centre, St Aloysius Church, Rose Street, Glasgow, at 1930 BST on Monday 21 June.
Following the talk there will be a visit to the circle for the midsummer sunset.