Gwendolyn Edmonstone As the Edmonstone Hall marks its centenary in 2026, here is a short piece about the young heiress who came up with the idea of donating a community hall to Strathblane, which had lost so many of its young men in the First World War, including her...
The Edmonstone Hall, built in 1926 THE DONOR Our Edmonstone Hall is 100 years old! Nobody alive here today was present when it opened on 29 October 1926. Yet it is not hard to reconstruct the circumstances that produced it. It was a very different world. The Hall was...
The drafts of the boards that will go up around the community have now been prepared and are out for consultation. A3 size versions are currently on display at the Thomas Graham Community Library in Strathblane. Proofs have also been sent to individuals and...
In his history of the parish of Strathblane, published in 1886, John Guthrie Smith remarked: “A Cricket Club has been formed in the parish once or twice, but has never succeeded in getting a proper field. There is now a prospect, however, as in the case of the...
On Friday 17 October 2025, Strathblane Heritage committee members, Keith Vass and Anne and Alastair Balfour, plus drone photographer Jamie Ballantine met with Kenny French of Kenwil Ltd, the Kirkintilloch-based company awarded the contract to produce the boards for...
Introduction How do we remember our past? A common response to the stories of Strathblane's links to the institution of Black slavery is that our ancestors saw the world differently, a world in which racial stereotypes were deeply embedded, and it is not for us to...
GREAT NEWS! We’ve been successful in raising the £16,000 that we reckon is needed to create a Heritage Trail around Strathblane. We’ve secured generous grants from two supportive local charity foundations: £8,000 from the Killearn-based Paul Charitable Trust, and...
by Dr Tim Clarkson [adapted from a talk presented to Strathblane Heritage on 16 September 2024] This essay takes a look at what was happening in the area around Strathblane in the early medieval period, a span of some 700 years from the beginning of the fifth century...
Coats of Arms displayed in Strathblane Church A brief item about the coats of arms of seven families associated with the Parish of Strathblane is now available on our website. It is based on a pamphlet on the subject written in 1988 by the late Dr Perry Harrison, the...
https://www.strathblaneheritage.org/fellowship-camping-association-1926-1966/ The latest addition to our Reminiscences section is a fascinating photo essay about a chapter of Glasgow's working class history that risked being lost forever. The Fellowship Camping...
A big thank-you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Strathblane Heritage Second World War Exhibition at the local library. First of all, the seven "volunteers" who put their all into unearthing the life and war stories of the seven local men who paid the...
WHO WAS JENNY BRASH? Jenny’s Glen, Jenny’s Burn, Jenny’s Lum: Blanefield locals are well familiar with these names. But who was Jenny? It took a bit of digging but an evening’s research produced a surprising amount of information about her. In his history The Parish...
Strathblane in World War Two Read the new illustrated essay here https://www.strathblaneheritage.org/the-second-world-war/
Introduction The Land Mines The Germans are Coming?! Our Super Seniors The School in Wartime What the Papers Said Verse & Worse! VE Day and Welcome Home The Blairskaith Bomber The white building in the foreground is Sunnyside, which was so badly damaged by the...
Go to Illustrated Essays to read the life and war stories of seven local men who perished in the Second World War.
Stories of the Fallen James Callander GNR Royal Artillery Daniel Davidson LAC Royal Air Force Andrew M Maclean Lt Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Archibald MacNicol SPR Royal Engineers Gilbert McKay P/O Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Richard RN Pedder Lieut Col Highland...
Exhibition from Saturday May 3 to Friday May 23 at the Thomas Graham Community Library, Strathblane (during opening hours) To mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day (8 May 1945), Strathblane Heritage presents an exhibition telling the stories of seven local servicemen...
On 13 September 1909 1st Strathblane Scouts lined up to form a guard of honour for the departure of King Edward VII from Blanefield Station after his official visit to the parish. The king complimented them on their smart appearance. 1st Strathblane Scouts on parade...
How is Strathblane linked to Black slavery? More than we might think. A new article has been added to Illustrated Essays on the website. Slavery
Introduction How is Strathblane linked to Black slavery? More than we might think. First some context. Two key dates: 1807, the abolition of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people and 1833, the abolition of slavery itself throughout the British Empire. In the past...
On February 20th February 2025, members of the committee and two Strathblane Heritage members set up another mini pop-up museum in the Thomas Graham Community Library. This time they were there to show off the toys they played with as children to all the P1 -3...
WW2 group The AGM of Strathblane Heritage Society will take place at the Village Club, Strathblane on Monday 17th March at 7:30 pm. We will be sharing our activities of 2024 to 2025 with our current membership of 112. We have begun fundraising for a Heritage Trail and...
This collection of vintage postcards has been moved to a new folder to allow everyone to see both sides of the postcards. Pore over the pictures to see how Strathblane, Blanefield and the surrounding area has changed over the years, and read the written greetings....
Groome’s Gazetteer of Scotland offers a snapshot of Strathblane in 1884, at which point the valley contained “an ex-quisite assemblage of mansions, lakes, woods, and luxuriant corn fields”, according to the author. Read the entry for Strathblane here Groome’s...
Here we are manning our stall at Strathblane Primary School on 6th December. There was a great atmosphere in the school hall and we enjoyed talking to our customers about Strathblane Heritage and our activities. Through the sales of cards, books and tea towels we...
Perfect Christmas Gifts For Sale We will have our heritage map tea towels and our greetings cards for sale at the Strathblane Primary School Christmas Fair on Friday 6th December from 6 - 8pm. Tea towels are only £8 each. A pack of 6 different cards is £6, or grab a...
A Treasure Trove of Scottish Resources Kirkhouse Inn and Farm and the Blane Valley Railway crossing the A81. July 1952. National Collection of Aerial Photography If you didn’t know your SCRAN from your NCAP, or your Canmore from your HES…….then you sure will now if...
On Remembrance Sunday, Strathblane Heritage co-chair Anne Balfour gave a talk at the service held at the parish church about seven local men who lost their lives in World War Two and whose stories are currently being researched by a group of our members. One...
We’ve uploaded a link to a lovely little 10 minute film called The Call of the Campsies, shot in 1946 and featuring a jolly group of lads and lassies walking out from Milngavie to climb to the Earl’s Seat. With thanks to the Moving Image Archive of the National...
In October, author and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch gave a talk to members about the hutting movement in Scotland and Norway. Following this very well-received talk, extra material has been added to the website piece about...
The Campsie Fells (‘The crooked fairy hills’) lie just a few miles north of Glasgow. They’re the highest and most extensive group of hills that form a more or less continuous range between Dumbarton and Stirling. To the west of the Campsies are the Kilpatrick Hills,...
Strathblane's P5 Class Delve into the Lives of Strathblane’s Children in the Past How much did an eight-year-old at Blanefield Printworks earn per week in the 1820s? Answer: two shillings. P5 pupils at Strathblane Primary School are all agreed: they would rather be...
Making Connections Strathblane Heritage Website Contact Form We regularly receive messages through the website, some are offering information and some are asking for information and we try to help where we can, within the limits of our small committee. We were excited...
Anne Balfour - Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution The British Association for Local History offers an annual award for an outstanding individual contribution from a member of a local history society. In December 2023 a group of Strathblane Heritage members...
New slider pictures of Duntreath and Craigend Castle haver been added to the gallery on the website. Now and Then “Slider” Photos
Only £8 Our new map teatowel was launched at the Heritage Meeting on Monday 16th September. You can buy one now from the Thomas Graham Community Library. Older Strathblane residents may remember (and indeed still consult) the handy teatowel produced by Strathblane...
In 1812, a ram's head snuff mull, similar to the one pictured, was donated by Archibald Edmonstone of Spittal to a charity to help deserving people who had fallen on hard times. It bore the inscription: “Presented to the Stirlingshire Charitable Society by Archibald...
Anne Balfour has been busy this summer, researching and writing new items for our Illustrated Essays. Click the link to read all about the Blanefield Smithy. Blanefield Smithy The Smithy, Blanefield The postcard image above is one chosen for our set of 6 fund-raising...
These fascinating records have been added to our Resources Farm Horse Tax Rolls for Strathblane, 1797-1798 A tax on farm horses was imposed in Scotland in 1797 to raise money to support the army and navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. In Strathblane inspectors...
Blanefield smithy is thought to be around 300 years old, though its exact age is unknown. It is certainly one of the very oldest surviving buildings in the parish of Strathblane. It appears on John Grassom’s map of the area published in 1817. It also features on local...
A Distillation of Whisky-Making in the Blane Valley As long as there have been humans, there has been alcohol. Production of wine and beer has been dated back 7,000-odd years in Central Asia, according to archaeologists. But the origins of whisky distilling, at...
At the end of March a group of Strathblane Heritage members set up a mini pop-up museum in the Thomas Graham Community Library. They were there to show off the toys they played with as children to the pupils of P4 from Strathblane Primary School. After an introduction...
The winners of our Website Prize Quiz were announced at or AGM on Monday 19th March. Congratulations are due to all those who completed the quiz. We hope you enjoyed exploring the website to find the answers. Three people tied for first place, each with a magnificent...
The Second World War Group of Volunteer Researchers Strathblane Heritage has launched a project to research the lives of the community’s Second World War heroes. The names of six of them appear on the local War Memorial, but little is known about their lives or...
Strathblane Heritage have launched a range of Notelet Cards and Postcards as part of a new fund raising enterprise. They will be for sale at our AGM on 18th March and thereafter at the Thomas Graham Community Library in Strathblane. We are very grateful for the...
February’s talk by Eddie Edmonstone, son of Sir Archibald, was about his long family history and the Duntreath Estate. He explained that the Edmonstones were thought to be Flemish immigrants, arriving in Scotland in the 11C, three years before William the Conqueror...
The quiz was launched at our meeting on Monday 19th February. There are 20 questions in the quiz. Find all the answers somewhere on our website: www.strathblaneheritage.org Return your sheets with your answers to Strathblane Library by 5pm on Friday 1 March. A list of...
We are delighted to announce that a rare first edition copy of The History of the Parish of Strathblane by John Guthrie Smith has been donated to Strathblane Heritage. Though published in 1886, it remains the go-to source for local historians. The initial print run...
Members of the Muir family in their garden at 27 Glasgow Road, showing the chimney and part of the Dumbrock works in the background. The illustrated essay Dumbrock Mills and Bleachfields has been extended to include the Dumbrock Works. Dumbrock Mills and Bleachfields
Memoir Summer Knickers – a Scottish Wartime Childhood by Sarah Paton Wiseman A chance conversation at a party in January 2024 was behind the latest great addition to the Reminiscences section of Strathblane Heritage. That’s how co-chair Anne Balfour heard about an...