I have recently received a response on behalf of Mike Russell, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, at Holyrood. I wrote to Mr Russell given that the Scottish government is currently actively involved in promoting the Homecoming Scotland campaign. While I do not expect that Mr Russell is in a position to take immediate action to reverse the policy of decline of the Wallace Monument and Wallace's Well, both of which are located in a constituency and a city controlled by Labour politicians, I was still interested in his opinion.
In the event Mr Russell passed my request for information on to Historic Scotland, the trust responsible for protecting the Wallace Monument. Of course Historic Scotland was also responsible for removing (with the support of Glasgow City Council) the protected status of Wallace's Well in 1993, because the Well was of "little historical interest". My email to Mr Russell read:
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I am the owner of a newly-launched (April 9th this year) website to highlight the desperate plight of the Robroyston Wallace Monument in Glasgow, available here:
http://www.robroyston.orgIn the last week over 200 Scots from around the world have written messages to complain about the state of the Robroyston Wallace Monument and nearby Wallace's Well. Would the minister be willing to make a response to these Scots, most of whom are in the target audience for Homecoming 2009?
http://www.robroyston.org/robroyston-gb.phpThe reply I received from Malcolm Cooper, Chief Inspector at Historic Scotland, was (see attached also):
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Thank you for your email of 16 April to Michael Russell MSP about the condition of the Wallace Monument in Robroyston. Mr Russell has asked me to reply on his behalf.
I am grateful to you for drawing your concerns about the Wallace Monument to our attention. I agree that the area around the monument is suffering from vandalism and littering and certainly could be improved.
The monument and well stand on private land, but Glasgow City Council have nevertheless undertaken to carry out maintenance for both of them. The Council are aware that the area around the monument is in poor condition and are keen to carry out improvement works. They also intend to improve the area around the well.
Bailie Catherine McMaster is taking a very active interest in promoting the Wallace Monument as a local attraction, with a memorial garden, improved signage, parking and pedestrian access. You may wish to contact Bailie McMaster for further information, or if you wish to make any suggestions about the way you would like to see the area improved. Her phone number her email address is catherine.mcmaster@councillors.glasgow.gov. uk.
I am pleased with the reply so far, in that it now unequivocally establishes that officials at the highest level in the Scottish government, as well as the national body responsible for protecting sites of national historical interest, are aware of the rapid, recent decline of the two sites. This may well prove highly significant in the future.
I am also pleased that we now have on record that Glasgow City Council is also aware of the decline and is now committed to improving – and, even better, promoting – the sites. This is also highly significant because the monument and well have existed for over 100 years without any official recognition from the city's local authorities. I think we we are on the brink of real progress here. Early this week I will email Bailie McMaster asking if she could kindly provide us with an outline plan of action.
There is now, of course, another very important factor which may play a decisive role in the future of the monument and well: that is the looming Westminster by-election for Glasgow North East, the constituency in which the sites are located. I intend to ask all candidates who present themselves for election to the post to state on record their opinion of the decline of the sites, as well as their plans to ensure that the sites will be cherished and protected in the future. In the meantime I will also email the outgoing MP for the constituency, Commons' Speaker Michael Martin, for his opinion on the matter.
GG.