Dumbarton has been “snubbed” ahead of the 800th anniversary of the town becoming a Royal Burgh, it’s been claimed.
The Scottish Government and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) say they have no plans to mark the historic occasion.
The foundation charter for the Royal Burgh of Dumbarton was sealed by Alexander II on July 8, 1222.
West Dunbartonshire Council unveiled a programme of events and activities to mark the town’s special birthday.
But in a letter to Jackie Baillie MSP, Angus Robertson, cabinet secretary for constitution, external affairs and culture, highlights the Rock of Ages event, organised earlier this year by HES at Dumbarton Castle, but says nothing else is planned.
The Dumbarton politician described it as a “slap in the face” to residents, believing the occasion should be properly celebrated.
In the correspondence with the Cabinet Secretary she also asked for an update on the planned reopening of Dumbarton Castle which is closed for the foreseeable future due to ongoing maintenance and inspection work.
She said: “The neglect of marking the 800th anniversary of Dumbarton becoming a Royal Burgh is a slap in the face to local people and is a clear snub by the Scottish Government and HES.
“They have not given the area the respect it deserves and I am extremely disappointed by that.
“I have made my feelings abundantly clear to the Cabinet Secretary in my correspondence with him regarding this.
“He believes that an event, the Rock of Ages, which takes place year after year, outwith Covid, with the compere mentioning ‘Dumbarton 800’ a handful of times is good enough but I completely disagree.
“I have been in dialogue with the Scottish Government and HES since January regarding Dumbarton Castle and have not had a satisfactory response yet.
“I desperately want to see the jewel in our crown reopen fully to visitors to enjoy learning more about the rich history of the castle.
“It will also hopefully help draw people into our town, spending money in our local shops to help them during this cost of living crisis. Instead of setting out any definitive timeline or pledging to accelerate works, I have been met with disappointing responses lacking any real action.”
This events organised by the council to mark the anniversary includes asking residents to submit photographs of their favourite places in Dumbarton and the production of a video exploring the town’s story through the eyes of its young people.
A spokesperson from HES said: “Our 2022 Rock of Ages event at Pier Park, next to the castle was themed around the 800 year anniversary of the town with medieval activities and performances celebrating the date.
“This event took place in early June, before the council programme went live at the end of the month.
“In relation to current access restrictions for high level masonry inspections, which has been exacerbated by climate change, we are progressing well through a prioritised programme of inspections.
“As we are conducting this work across Scotland and at over 60 sites currently, we have had to prioritise this on the basis of a number of factors including health and safety, geography and pre-inspection results, and Dumbarton is in the current batch of prioritised inspections which are currently taking place, with work starting later this month on site.
“Dependent on the outcome of this survey work, we will move to provide further access at the castle as quickly as we are able to, as we have done at a number of other sites following inspection, however access restrictions are in place currently as a precaution for public safety reasons.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government recognises the significance of the 800th anniversary of Dumbarton becoming a Royal Burgh. Earlier this year, HES held a successful themed event for Dumbarton 800, Rock of Ages.
“In January all MSPs with historic sites in their constituency or region identified as requiring access restrictions to ensure public safety were offered the opportunity to visit a local site to discuss masonry issues with HES technical experts and this offer remains open.”
