IT is an unlikely location to walk in the footsteps and recreate the archaeological wonders of our Neolithic and Bronze Age ancestors.
But on a massive inner-city building site, astronomers will spend the days around this year's summer solstice recreating Britain’s first authentically - and accurately - aligned stone circle to have been erected in more than 3000 years.
From dawn to dusk throughout this week, the team behind the successful campaign to save Glasgow's Sighthill Stones will chart the movements of sun, moon and stars to astronomically align the structures and mirror the work of Scotland's ancient builders at Callanish and Stenness.
Remarkably, the 'Sighthill Megalith' will be constructed as part of the biggest regeneration of its kind in the UK outside of London, a stone's throw from the busiest stretch of road in the country and a short walk from Glasgow city centre.
The acclaimed Scots author and painter Alasdair Gray, who championed the project when it looked set to fall foul of city planners, described it as "a work of art (which) continues a prehistoric Scottish tradition".
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.
The authority later committed to retaining the stones but a problem remained. Despite their best efforts, the 1979 circle was several inches from accuracy and the team hope that with advances in technology, forecasts for decent weather and more time to carry out their studies the circle will be exactly aligned with the sun.
Mr Lunan said: "Around the solstice we'll need to make a series of observations, plotting the rising and setting of the sun and the alignment of the stars. Things weren't as accurate as we'd hoped before but this time we expect it to be, even taking in things such as the atmosphere caused by city lights into consideration.
"The ancient builders could do this with the naked eye. But they had centuries to get it right. We have three days. The weather on Monday and Tuesday looks good so we'll try and get the work around the sun and the moon done on those days.
"It's been a long and difficult road but from a starting position where the stones were going to the support from the scientific and arts communities, to the druids and pagans, we'll now hand over our work to the council to put the stones in place."
Alasdair Gray said: "This work of art continues a prehistoric Scottish tradition, and it would have been a shame and a scandal if this 1970s creation had been abolished."
Kenny McLean, city convener for neighbourhoods, said: “The Sighthill Megalith will be a key feature of the new Sighthill, and its new life is emblematic of the rebirth of the area.
"It will be fantastic to see what this unique work will look like in its new location.”
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