Council marks 100 years of Balloch Park

July 16, 2016 by martinrooney2014 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Council has marked the centenary of the opening of Balloch Castle Country Park by unveiling a special plaque at the park entrance.

Councillor Michelle McGinty revealed the commemorative plaque on behalf of the Provost at a ceremony attended by members of the public, local community councillors, and members of the Council’s Greenspace team. The plaque is located at the Balloch Road entrance to the park and celebrates the 100^th anniversary of the park opening to the public on 1 July 1916.

 

The castle and park were originally a private estate dating back to the Medieval period, when Earls of Lennox lived there, and were bought by Glasgow City Council in 1915 before Dumbarton District Council took on a long-term lease of the site in 1980.

Over the years the popular park has played host to several events, including major gigs from Oasis and REM during the 1990s that attracted crowds of more than 80,000 people. It has also received major investment, including a £2.5million Heritage Lottery funded restoration from 2005-2008 and the ongoing £1million project to renovate the 200-year-old castle, which is due to complete this Summer.

Councillor McGinty said: “I was delighted to welcome so many local residents and members of Balloch and Haldane Community Council to mark 100 years of Balloch Castle Country Park. The park is such an iconic location in West Dunbartonshire and represents the rich history and beautiful scenery that continues to attract visitors to our area. Our heritage is a point of pride among our residents, so it is wonderful to be able to celebrate the centenary of the park in this way.”

Provost Douglas McAllister added: “Balloch Castle Country Park means a lot to so many of our citizens and is such an asset to have on our doorstep, with many rare and unusual trees and species of bird not commonly found this far north. For that reason it is fantastic to be able to mark 10 decades of public access to the park; it has brought joy to many millions of people during that time.”