Greenburn Covenanter Saltire

The Greenburn opencast coal mine existed to the west of New Cumnock. Once extraction of coal was completed, the site was restored to as natural a form as possible.

At the time of designing the Dalgig restoration landform large areas (approx. 120 hectares) of the Greenburn project had already been restored to agricultural grassland. However whilst these restoration works included species-rich grassland and areas of woodland, the restoration company was seeking to create a feature that would focus greater local interest to the good work Kier had done here since 2003 - a feature that the guys on site would relate to and be proud of their own involvement. Tom Smith, Project Manager for the Greenburn site had been involved in similar restoration projects in other parts of the country and he was aware of the extensive interest that ‘something different’ can generate. As a team they explored ideas of a land sculpture and Alanna * came up with the proposals for a Covenanter's Saltire. The shape of the cross and five cairns is based on a number of old Covenanter flags. This feature placed on the northern part of the site is aligned with the fight path to Prestwick Airport and fitted perfectly to the landscape and the rich cultural history of the area. The sculpture brings together a number of local connections including Dalgig farm, formerly located to the south of the site, and the Carsgailoch Martyrs' Grave to the north of the site. This landform also created increased formal public access, enhanced ecological value and diversification. Kier also intend to create a folly on the southern site boundary to indicate where Dalgig farm once stood.