An elderly man has been left distraught, after being told that a memorial tree he planted for his late wife will be ripped out the ground.
John Gibson, 87, wanted to honour the memory of his late wife, Alexandra, who passed away in 2022. After 68-years of marriage, John thought planting a tree at the bottom of Dumbarton Castle in Pier Park would be the perfect tribute, and placed a time capsule underneath.
However, just two years later, he was devastated to be told that the tree encroached on land owned by Historic Environment Scotland.
John’s son David received a phone call last month with the ‘upsetting’ news.
He said: “When my mother passed away, we applied for a bench and we were told by the council they don’t do that so they suggested a memorial tree. They invited my dad down for the planting and he placed a time capsule there with photos of her and mementoes.
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“My dad maintains it and because she loved her garden he has all her favourite flowers around it, snowdrops and daffodils. He even bought a strimmer to keep the grass tidy around the tree.
“It’s very upsetting, he still misses my mother terribly, they were together for 68 years. We used to call them Batman and Robin or the deadly duo. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen the other. They were never apart.”
The land that six memorial trees were built on in Pier Park is classed as an important monument and as such Historic Environment Scotland has said the trees would either need to apply for monument status or be moved.
Although West Dunbartonshire Council has confirmed they will now move the trees to a nearby location outside the protected area, John says this will still be a decision he doesn’t understand.
John said: “We just celebrated our 71st wedding anniversary on November 20. I was with my wife when I was at school and she was just two years older than me, I was infatuated with her.
“My son phoned me and told me they wanted to move the tree. There’s nothing there to justify digging that place, it’s strange.
“I put a time capsule below the tree with information about my wife and the present day’s monetary hoping that somebody in the future can find it. Other trees might be the same, they may have a casket of ashes of the people who had been cremated.”
Historic Environment Scotland said: “The trees were originally planted in an area which is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as part of a nationally important monument, and as such require scheduled moment consent.
“We have since worked with West Dunbartonshire Council to find a suitable new location for the trees within Pier Park but outwith the scheduled area.”
West Dunbartonshire Council said: “We are sorry that four memorial trees mistakenly planted in a protected area of Pier Park will have to be removed.
“We have applied to plant new trees in another location in the park and will undertake this work as soon as authorisation is provided by Historic Environment Scotland.
“We have apologised directly to the families involved and will continue to liaise with them until the new trees are in place.”
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