Residents rally for return of ripped out cast iron railings

Published on Saturday 9 December 2006 13:02

A GEORGIAN green space will be returned to its former glory under plans drawn up by residents to create a community garden.

The decorative cast iron railings were torn down from around the parkland at Gardner's Crescent, Dalry - like those on many homes and gardens around the country - to provide raw materials for the Second World War effort.

More than 60 years on, residents plan to use a tiny remaining section of the original railings to draw up designs for a replacement.

Run-down benches are to be replaced and the trees conserved or replanted to make the garden an attractive place for the local community.

The newly-formed Friends of Gardner's Crescent have launched a fundraising drive to gather the thousands of pounds needed to carry out the restoration work.

A specialist ironmonger will be employed to replicate the ornate railings, erected when the original crescent was built in the 1820s.

Led by chairman and local resident Derek Ainsley, the group has approached local businesses for financial help for the project, which they hope to carry out next year. Pensioner Mr Ainsley, who has lived in Gardner's Crescent for three years, said: "The railings were taken down during the war, as they were at many places around the city.

"Renewing them is the main thing we want to achieve, but we'd also like to generally renovate the gardens and make them a great place for people to go.

"A lot of work was done on Hopetoun Gardens last year, including replacing the railings, and that looks fantastic. We want to emulate what the residents there have done.

"We would be delighted if we could get the garden looking as it did in the 1800s."

Gardner's Crescent itself is believed to have been built in the early 1800s by Scottish architects R&R Dickson for military hero William Gardner.

Overlooking the crescent are two mid-19th century artisan housing developments, Rosebank Cottages and Rosemount Buildings, whose residents have also joined the drive to renovate the garden.

Mr Ainsley added that he had contacted a number of local companies to ask for funding help and was waiting for a response.

He said: "We will need some outside funding as the railings could cost quite a lot. We have had a positive response from everyone we have spoken to so far."

Gardner's Crescent resident Anne Milne said: "I'm very pleased this garden is going to be restored. It will be a huge improvement. It's a popular area for people to enjoy in the centre of the city."

Dalry councillor Kingsley Thomas added: "I have always felt like Gardner's Crescent could be as good as anything in the New Town. The outstanding architecture is there, as is the garden.

"The plans the local people have for it sound very exciting and I am 100 per cent behind them."

A spokeswoman for the city council said the group had received practical help from its parks department and added they could apply for a Local Development Grant to help pay for the railings.