POLICE SCOTLAND are appealing for information about a suspicious fire that has destroyed the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory outside Dalmellington in East Ayrshire.

Opened in 2012, the observatory is a much loved resource which benefits the local community and a much larger public audience of stargazers, amateur astronomers, schools, colleges and universities. It is located on the Craigengillan Estate, where owner Mark Gibson has worked tirelessly over the past two decades to restore the fortunes of the property and place it at the heart of the community.

Craigengillan is heavily involved with local schools, encouraging the active involvement of young people in conservation projects, art in nature and creative writing. In 2019, Mr Gibson was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to heritage.

The fire, which has devastated the wooden building that housed the observatory's equipment, started in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and Police Scotland said it was being treated as suspicious.

Detective Constable Steven Grey from Kilmarnock CID said: “The observatory is run by a charity organisation and the financial impact and damage caused is extremely significant. It is vital we establish the full circumstances surrounding what happened and I am appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

“The observatory is in a remote location and I would like to speak to anyone who may have been in the area on Tuesday night, into Wednesday morning. I would also urge any motorists with dash-cams who were travelling through at the time to please check their footage in case they have captured anything which could be of relevance.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland through 101, quoting incident number 0293 of Wednesday, 23 June. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Mr Gibson is a member of Scottish Lands and Estates, where chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing said: “The fire at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory is devastating for everyone, particularly the local community, the charity that runs the observatory and Craigengillan Estate.

“We would urge people who may have information regarding this fire to contact Police Scotland as soon as possible. Craigengillan Estate was in poor condition two decades ago prior to Mark Gibson taking control. Since then, there has been a transformation which created an estate that is flourishing and is accessed and loved by the local community. The estate’s willingness to drive forward new ideas for the benefit of others was amply demonstrated when the observatory was opened in 2012. It is dreadful to see what has happened with the fire and we hope more can be understood about the circumstances as soon as possible.”