Ben Lomond National Memorial Park

A protected natural area and war memorial in W Stirling Council Area, the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park was created in 1995 from land on the eastern side of Loch Lomond, which had been bought by the state in the years following the Second World War, to serve as a permanent memorial to those Scots who fell in that conflict. The park was created at the request of Michael Forsyth (b.1954), Secretary of State for Scotland, who drew up a concordat between the landowners, Forest Enterprise and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). It includes the summits of Ben Lomond, Ptarmigan and Beinn Uird.

The 5006-ha (12,370-acre) Rowardennan Estate had been purchased for the nation in 1950, using the National Land Fund which had been established four years previously to buy property to serve as a memorial for those who had died in the War. The land was given to the Forestry Commission and substantial areas planted with coniferous forest. These areas were later incorporated into the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. In 1984, the Forestry Commission sold Blairvockie Farm to the National Trust for Scotland, a purchase supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

The competition-winning circular memorial which sits on the shore of Loch Lomond was created as a focal point in Karin grey granite by Alyth-born Doug Cocker (b.1945). It was unveiled by another Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar (1937 - 2000) when he officially opened the Park on 11th November 1997. The memorial cost £60,000, is 3m (9¾ feet) in height and is intended to make the link between the original land purchase, the freedom gained through the lives lost during the War and our inalienable right to enjoy the park.

The park is managed jointly by Forestry and Land Scotland, NTS and Scottish Government.


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