The Society was delighted to have had the opportunity of a guided tour of the Auld Kirk Museum, a category A listed building and one of the oldest in Kirkintilloch, on 20th June 2024; the visit coincided with the Museums' 380th anniversary exhibition. By way of introduction the 16 members of the group were reminded by the guide that the Romans built the Antonine Wall which runs through Kirkintilloch, the Comyn family built a castle at Peel Brae, and that in 1644 the Museum building and its grounds had been the town's first parish church - St Mary's and its graveyard.
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| The guide from the Museum describes artwork created to publicise the Auld Kirk by local school children and the late Willie Rodger, Kirkintilloch's noted artist. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
Particular exhibits were highlighted and reflected the 13,000 held in the Museum's archive. The 380th Anniversary's timeline around the walls of the main gallery space provided a journey from a carved neolithic stone ball found in the garden of a local resident to sections detailing the industrial era of the Forth and Clyde Canal, ship building, the railways and cast iron manufacturing by the Lion Foundry that included the famous red telephone boxes. Other displays featured the whisky link between Kirkintilloch and Japan, and the 150th anniversary of St Ninian's High School including its WW2 fundraising link with the Royal Navy's HMS King George V battleship. Of particular interest were photographs of organisations including Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries which were instrumental in establishing the Museum, as it was possible to identify some of those visiting today in some of the pictures on display.
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| A brass model of one of HMS King George V's quadruple 14" gun turrets presented to St Ninian's High School in 1942 in connection with its fund raising activities for the Royal Navy. The trophy was awarded annually to the Dux of the school and in 1984 was donated to the Museum by a former teacher. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
After the tour, about half the group walked along to Majella's for a cup of tea and a sticky bun and for a chat. The consensus was that the visit had been a success, and that the offer of additional tours by the Museum staff should be explored and that all in all it had been a good 'summer' outing.
David Graham
