A headstone at Dundee Howff is at the centre of controversy after it was restored to its original state.
A wish expressed in the will of John Morgan the founder of Morgan Academy was finally honoured, with the last stages of renovation of the marble-topped memorial to the Dundonian’s family completed last week.
But members of the public, and the chairman of the Dundee Howff Restoration Group, have raised concerns about “disturbing” the A-listed site.
Archivist Innes Duffus, who led the £1,500 renovation project, said it was great to see the headstone finally restored to its original state.
He said: “I came across the story of John Morgan’s will back in 2001, and I managed to get a copy from the Dundee archives.
“One of his wishes was for the memorial to his family to be kept in good condition.
“It may well spark a bit of controversy, but it is honouring the man’s will and I have kept the council informed from the start.
“I received the donation from a former Morgan Academy pupil to finish off the work and now it is complete we will be looking to commemorate its renovation in the near future.”
But the chairman of the Dundee Howff Restoration Group, Simon Goulding, said changing the look of the site is something that should have been more seriously considered.Watch: A special 450th anniversary tour of Dundee HowffHe said: “I can see why the renovation works have taken place it was in the man’s will but I am a bit concerned about how it will affect the entire look of the graveyard.
“The Howff is a historic A-listed point of interest and is subject to be conserved to its original state.
“If someone is able to clean a gravestone, relatives might be under the impression you can go in and clean up family graves, which would damage the site.”
Members of the public reacted to a picture of the rejuvenated headstone on Facebook, with Dorothy Brown claiming “the whole thing is inappropriate for its setting”.
Others commenting on the memorial were under the impression it was a completely new piece of marble.
One said: “The installation does in no way look complete.”
Mr Duffus stressed the marble stone is the original masonry.
The Howff is regarded by many as having one of the most important collections of tombstones in the country and images from the site are to be displayed across Europe.