Early Scottish Railway by John Yellowlees, National Transport Trust Scotland. Wednesday 18th March, 2pm, Kirkintilloch Town Hall

Our contribution to Local History Month 2026 will be a lecture in Kirkintilloch Town Hall, Union Street on Wednesday 18th March at 2pm by John Yellowlees of the National Transport Trust Scotland on "Early Scottish Railways". All of the early Scottish railways  - the 1722 Tranent to Cockenzie and Alloa wagonways, the Kilmarnock & Troon, the Edinburgh & Dalkeith, the Garnkirk & Glasgow, the Dundee & Newtyle - have their claims to fame. However, it is the Monkland & Kirkintilloch that ticks the most boxes - the first public railway in Scotland with an Act of Parliament, first successfully to use steam, even the first train-ferry. The Monklands was the cradle to much early railway activity, and the M&K would become the ancestor of present-day railway endeavour including Airdrie-Bathgate, Lumo and Russell Road-Rail.

Typical engine used in the early days of Scottish railways

Admission is free but registration in advance is required. To register, send an email to kdsantiquaries@gmail.com.

Copies of Don Martin's new book, "The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway in the 1960s" will be on sale, price £11.95. Cash sales only.

 

The story of Lenzie Moss by Katherine Kelsey. Thursday 5th March, 7:30pm, Park Centre

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 5th March at 7:30pm in the Park Centre. Katherine Kelsey from the Friends of Lenzie Moss will give a talk on the history of Lenzie Moss and the contribution of the Friends to its conservation.

Lenzie Moss is a raised peat bog with a history that goes back 10,000 years. It is a Local Nature Reserve within the heart of our area and a place much loved by local residents and visitors alike, and the Friends are a group dedicated to conserving it for the benefit of us all.

Katherine is a long time Lenzie resident and treasurer of the group. She has been involved with the Friends over many years. Come and enjoy her presentation on this iconic local site of great ecological significance.

Members' Night: My favourite monument. Thursday 19th February at 7:30pm in the Park Centre

This year Members' Night will be on Thursday 19th February at 7:30pm in the Park Centre. The theme is "My favourite monument " and four members have volunteered to give a short talk on this topic.  They have complete freedom to interpret it in any way they fancy, so come along to support them and discover what they regard as their favourite monument, and why. Mine is shown below, but I am not one of the speakers this year. There will be time for questions after the presentations.

The Campsie calico printing industry by Suzanne Marshall-Smith, Thursday 5th February, 7:30pm in the Park Centre

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 5th February at 7:30pm in the Park Centre, with tea and coffee from 7pm. Textile artist and Historian, Suzanne Marshall-Smith, will share her research on the historic calico printing industry which thrived in Lennoxtown and Milton of Campsie between 1785 and 1929. This textile industry shaped and enriched local communities until its eventual demise in the early 20th century. The attached image features a print from Lennoxmill Printworks, from the collection of the University of Philadelphia.

Suzanne is a Textile Artist, Historian and vintage textile dealer, based at the Campsie Fells. She creates textile artworks from a variety of found, reclaimed and reused materials from her collections, researches textile history and teaches a range of community classes and workshops in textile art, often with a historical slant based on textile histories and folklore. 

Originally trained as a jeweller, Suzanne studied Jewellery & Silversmithing at Glasgow School of Art, graduating in 2006 with a distinction in Historical and Critical Studies. After many years of teaching and working within the jewellery trade she moved in a new direction and in 2020, gained a Masters degree {MLitt} in Dress & Textile Histories from the University of Glasgow. She collects and sells a large range of antique and vintage textiles, using many in her unique, decorative creations.

The enigma of Sir John James Burnet by Niall Murphy. Thursday 15th January in the Park Centre at 7:30pm.

Sir John James Burnet’s talent as an architect was as great as Thomson and Mackintosh while his career was even more stellar in achievement and yet he is now little known, regarded as the most mysterious of the great Glasgow architects. Has Burnet’s ability as stylistic chameleon contributed to this overshadowing? 

Niall Murphy, Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, discusses the career and buildings of Glasgow’s third Architect of International Stature. Photos of two of Burnet's best buildings, the Trustee Savings Bank and the Glasgow Cenotaph, are shown below, courtesy of the Glasgow Civic Heritage Trust.

Niall Murphy is Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust and co-chair of Glasgow Built Heritage Commission. Though originally from Hong Kong, Niall has 25 years of experience as an architect and is deeply involved in heritage, conservation, and community issues in Glasgow. Niall is currently the Chair of the Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust, and served for a decade on the Glasgow Urban Design Panel. Niall regularly lectures on architecture, heritage and urban design issues.

Red Wheel Plaque installed at Southbank Marina

A Red Wheel Plaque has been installed at Southbank Marina to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway in 2026. The railway was built to allow coal, iron and other products from the Airdrie-Coatbridge area to be brought to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, from where they could be taken east and west to other parts of Scotland. The northern terminus of the railway at Kirkintilloch Basin is now Southbank Marina. The plaque has been mounted on East Dunbartonshire Council’s offices there, next to an existing sculpture commemorating the building of small cargo boats, or “puffers”, at Kirkintilloch from the 19th to the mid-20th century. The general location and a close-up of the plaque are shown in the photographs below.

Photographs by Murray Reid

The Red Wheel Scheme was created by the National Transport Trust to recognise and commemorate significant transport history sites all over the United Kingdom. More information about the scheme can be found at Transport heritage sites. 

The location of a Red Wheel Plaque at Southbank Marina was a collaborative project between Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries, the National Transport Trust and East Dunbartonshire Council and was driven by Society member and local historian Don Martin, MBE. Don has carried out detailed studies of rail transport in the Kirkintilloch area and has just published a book of photographs of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway in the years up to the closure of the line during 1965-66. 

The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway is widely recognised as one of the first public railways in Scotland. It opened in 1826, just a few months after the revolutionary Stockton to Darlington Railway in 1825. A number of activities are planned to commemorate the anniversary, including an exhibition in the Auld Kirk Museum from March to May. The Red Wheel Plaque will be formally unveiled in Spring 2026 to coincide with the commemorations.