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’s charming art gallery is housed in a smithy that 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...
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...
Thanks to the people who responded, we've been able to send Fiona more information about her ancestor. We have received this enquiry on the website. My great uncle was Andrew Scott, a joiner with a workshop in Strathblane. He was born 1881 and married Anne Death in...
We welcomed our 100th member at our last meeting on November 20! Carol Craig, of Dumbrock Road signed up to join our swelling ranks. It’s wonderful to know that so many people are enjoying our presentations and our website.
Fig 19. The keep at Duntreath dates from the 15th century Due to a change of programme our meeting on 19th February will be "The History of Duntreath Castle and Estate" More information here :Events
Katy Lamb and Roger Doubal - 20 November 2023 The Victorian engineering marvel that is the Loch Katrine water supply system for Glasgow was unfolded at our last meeting on November 20. Katy Lamb and Roger Doubal made the trip over from Kinlochard Local History Group...
A true tale of footballing fortunes. Your recently-formed village football club obtains the priceless opportunity to play one of the nearby city’s leading clubs after a good first run in the Scottish Cup against rival local teams. As this is likely to provide...
The club’s own painting of Robert Burns, by local artist Norrie Barclay. Itself a copy of the famous Alexander Nasmyth portrait (above), mysteriously disappeared in the mid-1990s. (National Portrait Gallery) Picture the scene: a snowy January evening at the...
On a pleasant summer’s evening back in the late 1990s, Strathblane Lawn Tennis Club president Professor David Hole and a fellow-player headed to Dunblane for a doubles match in the Lawn Tennis Association’s Central Scotland league. Their cheery mood was enhanced when...
There have been amateur drama societies in the village on and off since the late 1800s. Current records cover the existence in the 1960s of the Strathblane Amateur Drama Club which produced a number of plays at the Edmonstone Hall, attracting good-sized...
A comforting and familiar sight and sound, the Band is a regular feature of village life, including its stirring playing at the annual Remembrance Sunday service and parade in November. Its weekly rehearsals at the Edmonstone Hall make themselves known to the Glasgow...
The draw for the framed £100 note took place at the Village Club on Monday 20th November at the end of a packed-out meeting. David and Mary Frood, who donated the £100 note helped to draw the winning number tiles. The winer of the framed £100 note held the number 76....
BALLEWAN Painting of Ballewan House, often known as The Ha', by Connie Simmers BALZEOUN Ballewan is an estate in the Blane Valley that was carved out of the earldom of Lennox. For two centuries it belonged largely to the Craig family, culminating in Milliken Craig...
Strathblane Heritage and the Thomas Graham Library jointly invite you to a free session to explore this Strathblane Heritage website The Thomas Graham Library Saturday 4th November 10am - 12noon Come along to the library at 10am for a short presentation on how...
Local Shops Over the years a surprising number of people have run shops in the community. Some have lasted longer than others, but all have been memorable in their own way. The fortunes of retailers have waxed and waned with the general fortunes of the community....
To enter our prize draw come along to one of our meetings, or contact us through this website, and buy one or more of 100 numbered squares for £5 a square. The star prize is the £100 note and there will be another £100 worth of other prizes. Jim Neill has been having...
It would be hard to find anyone who has a longer association with education in Strathblane than “Mrs Marshall”, as she is known to generations of pupils. As butcher’s daughter Georgina Campbell, she started at Strathblane School aged four and a half in June 1949 and...
Here are some wonderful class photographs sent to us for the website, with the contributor's comments below each. We won't be posting full lists of the pupils with each each picture, but some comments identify the contributor's family members in the older photos. Do...
In July 2023 we posted on the local Strathblanefield FACEBOOK group asking people to share their memories of the old school. Here are some of the responses: It’s so nice to create a bit of history about the old school. I was only there my first two years of school...