Kirkintilloch & District Society of Antiquaries: September 2019

The Society's September 2019 Newsletter

The September 2019 edition of the Society's newsletter has recently been created and edited by committee member Valerie McClure and gives information on the activities of the Antiquaries since the AGM. It can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the image below.

The newsletter has been circulated to those members of the Society who provided their email addresses following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. The list of active email addresses will be updated using the information supplied on the renewal slips for the 2019-20 session.

Society visit to the Trades Hall of Glasgow: 2.00 pm, Thursday 10th October 2019

This year's afternoon outing is to the Trades Hall of Glasgow, 85 Glassford Street, Glasgow G1 1UH on Thursday 10th October at 2.00 pm. The Robert Adams designed Trades Hall completed in 1794 is the home of the Trades House established in 1605 and its 14 Incorporated Crafts such as Hammermen, Maltmen, Tailors etc. With funds in excess of £18 million, the Trades House nowadays focuses on making charitable and educational donations to deserving causes and individuals across the West of Scotland linked to the original trades represented.

The Trades Hall in Glassford Street. (© I.S.Ruddock)

As with previous afternoon outings, transport will NOT be provided by KDSA and interested members will therefore have to make their own arrangements to reach the Trades Hall by 2.00 pm. Since it is near George Square, it is easy to reach from Queen Street Station or Buchanan Bus Station. Car parking is limited in the immediate environs of the Trades Hall and is not recommended. If you do decide to attend, please assemble at the door or reception area of the Trades Hall by 2.00 pm where we will be met by a member of staff for a guided tour of about one hour.

It is hoped that a good number of members will take part in this first outing of the new 2019-20 season. Final numbers need to be known in advance of the visit by Tuesday 8th October; please contact the Society via email - kdsantiquaries"at"gmail.com – or by telephone at 0141-775-1716 (Ivan).

Don Martin: The Railways of Kirkintilloch - Part 2: Thursday 3rd October 2019

KDSA Secretary Don Martin this year re-visits one of his favourite subjects and will present Part 2 of his overview of "The Railways of Kirkintilloch". Kirkintilloch’s railway history is certainly distinctive. It began with one of Scotland’s earliest public railways, the Monkland & Kirkintilloch, in 1826, and ended with a comprehensive blow of the Beeching axe in 1966, surely one of the most illogical closures of that era. Over these years Kirkintilloch served first as a connecting link between the railway system and the Scottish canal network (including ‘train ferries’ for mineral wagons), and later as a significant railway centre in its own right, with a range of junctions connecting different lines. Passenger traffic ended in 1964, since when Kirkintilloch has arguably been the largest town in Scotland without this facility.

In his talk, Don will concentrate on the vanished railway scene around Kirkintilloch illustrating his presentation with some of his own photographs taken in the 1960s.

A train passing under the Luggie Water Aqueduct, Kirkintilloch, 1961. (© D.Martin)

Back o'Loch Halt, Kirkintilloch, 1960. (© D.Martin)

Evening meetings of the Society are at 7.30 pm in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, G66 1LF. The annual membership subscription is £10 but visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening meetings.

Update on Doors Open 2019: Saturday 7th September

The Society contributed to this year's Doors Open programme in East Dunbartonshire on Saturday 7th September by its presence in the Town Hall and by hosting a guided historical walk in the Auld Aisle Cemetery.

In the refurbished Town Hall, the Society provided an overview of its activities and photographs of 'old' Kirkintilloch using a display of photographs assembled by Don Martin and two projected PowerPoint presentations. Various committee members and office bearers - Rita Bennie, Liz Coroon, David Graham, Valerie McClure, Louise Nixon, Murray Reid and Ivan Ruddock - were in attendance during the day to provide information and answer visitors' questions.

The Society's stand in the Town Hall. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The afternoon tour of the Auld Aisle Cemetery started with an introductory talk by Don Martin about the history of the Cemetery dating back to the 12th Century, the different spellings of Lenzie and their pronunciation together with stories about the activity of Resurrectionists who robbed graves for medical research. This was followed by visits to nine headstones of particular historical and cultural interest - a worker engaged on the construction of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, a carrier, a poet, a canal boat owner and entrepreneur, a scientist, a philanthropist, a priest and an engineer now recognised as the 'Father of Television' by the award of an Emmy - where Ros McMeekin, Don Martin and Ivan Ruddock outlined their lives and careers. At the end of the afternoon the twenty strong group was reminded of the history of the Spider Bridge, a right of way that linked Waterside with Kirkintilloch Station in Lenzie, by local businessman and photographer Edward Z Smith.

(David Graham and Ivan Ruddock)