By Duncan Lunan
There are a minimum of forty eight pointed out prehistoric stone circles in Scotland. truthfully, little or no is understood concerning the those who erected them, and finally approximately what the stone circles have been for. such a lot stone circles are astronomically aligned, which has ended in the trendy debate approximately why the alignment was once major. The megaliths definitely represented an immense co-operative attempt, may not less than have tested energy and wealth, and being set clear of any dwellings most likely served a ceremonial, or even spiritual, goal.
Observations on the web site of the stone circles, of sunlight, lunar, and stellar occasions, have already solid gentle on the various questions on the development and use of historical megalithic observatories.
In his skill as supervisor of the Parks division Astronomy venture, writer Duncan Lunan designed and equipped the 1st astronomically aligned stone circle in Britain in over 3,000 years. 'The Stones and the celebrities' examines the case for astronomical alignments of stone circles, and charts the advance of a desirable venture with a powerful medical and old heritage. The paintings used to be documented intimately via the artist and photographer Gavin Roberts, and this archive has been additional to given that - so a suitable collection of illustrations will convey the venture vividly to existence.
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Additional info for The Stones and the Stars: Building Scotland's Newest Megalith (Astronomers' Universe)
Why now not get rid of this park enclosure to the summit of the hill, the place each westerly breeze blows freshly in from the rustic, and from which there's acquired an impressive VIEW of fields, hills and woods… [19B]” Had this recommendation been taken, then our circle could have been nonetheless extra competently positioned in historic phrases. yet as Gavin’s images basically express, lower than, the skyline of what’s left of Summerhill was once as an alternative topped via an influence station and by means of the White Horse Distillery, and just a brief Phoenix Park Terrace honored the prospect. yet see Fig. 10. 12. the unique Sighthill used to be likewise misplaced to us. it kind of feels fairly attainable that its identify arose simply because its huge, flat crest can have held a midsummer dawn foresight with its flanking lunar standstill markers, for Summerhill. It has now not been equipped on, precisely, however it is totally occupied by means of the massive Sighthill Cemetery or ‘Northern Necropolis,’ twinned with the single via Glasgow Cathedral. Ian Clair’s plan confirmed an exciting ‘Martyr’s Stone’ north of Broomhill, yet this proved to be smooth and concerning the Martyr Monument within the Cemetery – to not the non secular Covenanters, notwithstanding claimed through a few of their supporters, yet to the political radicals John Baird and Andrew Hardie, performed at Stirling in 1820 [23]. It did appear for a time that we'd have the ability to use the various extra in demand tombs as foresights, yet that was once to guide to loads of hassle – see later. Going again to the 1780’s, in spite of the fact that, the map indicates one other portent of huge alterations that have been approximately to ensue. at the 1782 one, there's a oblong patch of floor at the lands of Broomhill, yet extending directly to the adjoining ‘Serjeant’s Fauld’ and categorised ‘Bleachfield. ’ It lay throughout what's now Pinkston street from ‘St. Rollox Croft,’ via whose 3 fields the canal and Parliamentary street have been dotted in. notwithstanding the line hasn’t but come via ‘Mr. Pinkston’s property,’ the Croft is now easily ‘Mr. Glen’s estate’ (Fig. five. 13). The Bleachfield has been expelled from Serjeant’s Fauld, that is now ‘Mr. Stewart’s estate’ (on either side of the canal), however it has prolonged southward and turn into an everlasting characteristic that was once approximately to say loads of territory for the little-known St. Rollox, a. ok. a. St. Roche. Fig. five. 13Plan of the Hundred Acre Hill Farm, undated In these days bleaching concerned lengthy publicity to the solar, and the 1st authentic bleachfield were arrange at Gray’s eco-friendly in 1729, “probably catering for the embryonic linen within the city,” says Hume. by means of the overdue eighteenth century there have been a range of of bleachfields round the perimeter of the town: Hume has came across examples at Wellmeadowfield in Pollockshaws, Bellgreen, Bellshaugh, Kirklee in Kelvinside, Springfield in Dalmarnock, Kelvinhaugh and Hogganfield in Millerston and we will upload Broomhill to that record. This part of the early fabric is immortalized in a single of the main appealing Glaswegian love songs, of which Pete Shepheard gathered an abridged yet surprisingly certain model in Perthshire in 1965: ‘Where are you goin’, my bonnie lassie, ‘An’ what you do i need to understand.