Members' Night: A Favourite or Significant Book: Thursday 20th February 2020

The theme of this year's Members' Night is "A Favourite or Significant Book", interpreted in whichever way the participants wish. In other words, the book concerned could one that has been enjoyed and could be recommended or is of great literary importance or is even one that has been disliked. The format of the evening will be as in previous years - each contributor has the opportunity of speaking on his or her topic for about five minutes with or without illustrations. 

 (© I.S.Ruddock)

If you are thinking of contributing, please let Ivan Ruddock know of your intention, and if you wish to have some images included in the composite PowerPoint presentation, please send them using the Society's email address that can be found under "Contact Us".

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; visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events but a donation of £3 is requested.

Carol Primrose: From Romans to Rabbits - the Cawder Estate: Thursday 6th February 2020

Local historian Carol Primrose will talk on the history of the Cawder Estate, Bishopbriggs. It is currently the home of Cawder Golf Club with Cawder House its clubhouse, but it also includes major artifacts from previous eras such as the Antonine Wall which crosses it and the Forth and Clyde Canal which skirts its southeastern boundary. In the early 1800s, Charles Stirling, owner of the Cawder Estate, commissioned the prolific nineteenth century Scottish architect David Hamilton to improve the estate and redesign Cawder House in the form visible today.

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; visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events but a donation of £3 is requested.

Janice Miller: The Lion Foundry Archives: Thursday 9th January 2020

Kirkintilloch's Lion Foundry manufactured an enormous range of cast iron products for both the home and overseas markets. Janice Miller, East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture's Archivist, will tell the story of this internationally renowned iron foundry using its remarkable collection of drawings, photographs, and documents.

A Lion Foundry advertisement © EDLC

The Lion Foundry bandstand in Kirkintilloch's Peel Park
(© I S Ruddock)

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; visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events but a donation of £3 is requested.

William B Black: Maryhill Revisited: Thursday 5th December 2019

Step back in time! In this talk, local historian Bill Black and native of Maryhill will present an illustrated history of the old burgh of Maryhill, highlighting the people, events and locations that give it the unique flavour it has enjoyed for many years. 

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; visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events but a donation of £3 is requested.

Paul Bishop: The Wriggly Kelvin and Rivers as Borders: Thursday 7th November 2019

We are being told by some commentators during the Brexit debate that international borders are easy to manage. It is now clear that this is not true, and this is especially the case when the border is marked by a river. Locally, the River Kelvin marks the boundary between Kirkintilloch and Campsie Parishes and yet the boundary does not always follow the river channel. Why not? 

Prof Paul Bishop is a geographer and retired academic from the University of Glasgow. In this talk he will explore the issues associated with rivers as borders, including taking a look at the Scotland-England border which, who knows, might one day be an international border!

The River Sark at Gretna as the border between Scotland and England.

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; visitors are welcome at all of the Society's evening events but a donation of £3 is requested.

Thomas Muir Symposium: "Past, Present and Future": 22nd October 2019

This year's Thomas Muir Symposium - "Commemorating Thomas Muir: Past, Present and Future" - will be held in St Ninians High School, Kirkintilloch on Wednesday 22nd October, 12.45 - 4.30pm. Further information including booking arrangements along with details of other events in 2019's Thomas Muir Festival may be found here.