podIGT found a very poignant and moving hidden gem today on a visit to Rozelle Park in Ayr, Scotland.
The stumps of felled trees in the Rozelle Remembrance Woodland have been sculpted into figures of soldiers of the Great War that were taken from original photographs.
The idea came from a council worker called Thea Pettigrew who was service coordinator for grounds maintenance. She noted that part of the Rozelle woods looked like a battlefield with its trenches and ditches and realised that some of the stumps from the felled trees could be carved into a haunting memorial of WW1.
A soldier composing a letter to family at home.
A team of chainsaw sculptors carved the images that now stand in the woodlands – each sculpture taking approximately two days to complete in extreme detail. Standing in the in-cleared woodland, it is easy to imagine the type of landscape the soldiers would have had to navigate. Carvings of the following images can be found around the area:
A German soldier using binoculars to spy on the opposing forces.
A soldier shooting a machine gun.
A soldier remembering his fallen friend.
This sculpture trail is thought to be the only type of its kind in Scotland and is a true tribute to the memory of the men who fought for freedom.
As well as the carvings, a memorial stone has been erected to honour the people who received one of the 682 Victoria Crosses awarded for bravery.
A memorial to one of the recipients, Robert Shankland can also be found in the Memorial Woodland. Robert was born in Ayr but emmigrated to Canada and later served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was awarded the VC following his acts of valour at Passchendaele which included braving enemy fire and advancing into German lines to take vital new information back, which ultimately helped in the battle.
A new path network is being developed at Rozelle Park, native trees, including Rowan, Birch and Oak, are being replanted and it is the intention to add more carvings to the woodland to represent other wars. If you are ever in the area, please make time to visit this haunting memorial to those who gave their lives so that we might be free to enjoy our lives today.
You might also like to explore the Rozelle Museum and art galleries which house Alexander Goudie’s Tam O’Shanter paintings.
I live in Ayr and never knew this existed. Just goes to show that people don’t really know what is on their doorstep. This will be on my list of places to visit very soon.
I found this woodland trail very moving. One can only imagine what horrors faced our brave soldiers. This is a great lasting reminder that we must not let our world be faced with such a war again.
It is incredibly, very user-friendly and user friendly. Great job for the fabulous site.
I simply want to mention I am very new to blogging and site-building and really liked this web blog. Very likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog . You actually come with good writings. Appreciate it for sharing with us your blog site.
Im still learning from you, but Im making my way to the top as well. I definitely love reading everything that is posted on your site.Keep the posts coming. I liked it!
Surprisingly! It is like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pictures to drive the content home a bit, besides that, this is helpful blog post. A good read. Ill certainly be back.
Awesome website you have here, its well made and has very good data.
Extremely helpful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.
Awesome site you got.. Very interesting topic you talked about haha.
My bro saved this internet site for me and I have been reading through it for the past several hours. This is really going to aid me and my friends for our class project. By the way, I like the way you write.