Balfron

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Coordinates: 56°04′18″N 4°20′14″W / 56.071775°N 4.337256°W / 56.071775; -4.337256
Balfron
Balfron

 Balfron shown within the Stirling council area
Population 1,518 [1] (2001 census)
est. 1,707[2] (2011)
OS grid reference NS546890
Council area Stirling
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town GLASGOW
Postcode district G63 0xx
Dialling code 01360
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
List of places
UK
Scotland
The church and war memorial in Balfron

Balfron, is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is situated near Endrick Water on the A875 road, 18 miles (29 km) west of Stirling and 16 miles (26 km) north of Glasgow. Although a rural settlement, it lies within commuting distance of Glasgow, and serves as a dormitory town.

History

The name means 'village of mourning' in Gaelic. This originates from a legend that the village was attacked by wolves, which stole children out of their homes. The first documented evidence of a settlement at the site dates from 1303, when it was referred to as "Buthbren".[3]

Balfron has an ancient oak – The Clachan Oak – where William Wallace is said to have rested and later Rob Roy is supposed to have hidden. Rob Roy's sons abducted young widow-heiress Jean Key from nearby Edinbellie and forced her to marry Robin Oig MacGregor who was hanged for the crime.

In 1789, when Robert Dunmore built Ballindalloch Cotton Works he expanded the settlement from a hamlet of around 50 people to a bustling Industrial Revolution planned village with a population of almost 1,000 within a year.[3]

As the cotton boom began to fail, the arrival of the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway transformed Balfron into a popular holiday resort. Testament to this was the presence of the Tontine Hotel, which stood at the corner of Buchanan Street and Cotton Street. The plethora of no longer required ex-army vehicles after World War I began the village's connection with buses which still survives today.[3]

In 1967, the notable Balfron Tower in London was named after the village.

Facilities

Balfron has shops, a health centre, a village hall and a secondary school (Balfron High School). The village also contains a fire station, garage, ambulance depot, police station, primary school, bowling green and an 18 hole golf course. There is a Bank of Scotland. The residential special school Ballikinrain is also located in Balfron and caters to intervening for boys with special needs from all over Scotland. Its future is, however, in doubt as a result of Church of Scotland funding problems. Doyles cafe is also situated in Balfron.

The game of golf is not a new tradition in Balfron. There had been a 9 hole course at the top of the village for many years until, in 1939, Balfron Golf Club was dissolved and the land given up for agricultural use during the 2nd World War. In 1991 Balfron Golf Society was formed to re-create a nine hole course on the site of the original one. A 9 hole course opened in 1994 and in 2001 was extended to 18 holes.

The Secondary School (Balfron High School) opened in 2001, replacing a 1960s era building which had previously acted as the secondary school, and was built under the governments PPP Public-private partnership project with the company Jarvis plc. It and the local primary school, which has nursery provision, are located in separate buildings on the same campus and is signposted in the village as "Balfron Campus". The old school, which originated from the 19th century and was still used as classroom space until 2001 has been converted into two homes. Jarvis, the company that managed the school under the PPP arrangements, went into administration in March 2010. The administrator appointed by Jarvis approached the council with an offer from SGP Ltd to take over both the PFI (private finance initiative) contract and the facilities management contract. As part of the PPP agreement the leisure facilities of the school are open to the public outwith school hours.

Balfron Church is situated in the settlement and shares a minister with the neighbouring parish of Fintry. The catholic community is served by St Anthony's, which shares a priest with St Kessog's, in Strathblane. Strathendrick Baptist Church is also based in Balfron and meets at McLintock Hall.

There are eight listed buildings in Balfron, and a further fifteen in the area around the village.[4]

Many youth groups work in the village including Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, scouts and guides.

Transport

Balfron railway station, on the line between Kirkintilloch and Aberfoyle, was opened to serve the village in 1856. It closed in 1951.[5]

The main road in Balfron is the A875.[6] Local bus services are provided by First Edinburgh.[7]

People from Balfron

Balfron is the birthplace of the architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson (1817 – 1875), whose father was a bookkeeper at Ballindalloch Mill. He became an eminent Glaswegian architect and architectural theorist and a pioneer in sustainable building.[8]

His brother, George Thomson (1819 – 1878), was born in Balfron, and after an early career as an architect became a baptist missionary in Limbe, Cameroon (then known as "Victoria"),[9] where he combined his religious activities with a passion for botany. An epiphytic orchid of the Pachystoma genus was named Pachystoma thomsonianum in his honour.[10]

Also from Balfron were the Barnwell Brothers, Harold and Frank, who began their love affair with gliders and planes in the grounds of Elcho House, Balfron and after a subsequent trip to meet the Wright Brothers in America they returned to Scotland and began building innovative designs in Bridge of Allan.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Comparative Population Profile: Balfron Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 2001-04-29. Retrieved 2008-08-31. 
  2. ↑ http://www.stirling.gov.uk/__documents/temporary-uploads/economy,-planning-_and_-regulation/openspace-strategy/sr-balfron.pdf
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Balfron's history Balfron Heritage Group
  4. ↑ Listed Buildings in Balfron, Stirling, Scotland britishlistedbuildings.co.uk
  5. ↑ Thomas, John; Turnock, David (1989). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The north of Scotland. Atlantic Transport Publishers. p. 35. ISBN 0-946537-03-8. 
  6. ↑ Central Scotland Police - Balfron
  7. ↑ First South East & Central Scotland - Current Timetables
  8. ↑ Alexander "Greek" Thomson Balfron Heritage Group
  9. ↑ Ray Desmond & Christine Ellwood (1994). Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists. CRC Press. p. 681. ISBN 0-85066-843-3. 
  10. ↑ James Herbert Veitch (2006 reprint). Hortus Veitchii. Caradoc Doy. p. 70. ISBN 0-9553515-0-2. 
  11. ↑ The Balfron Heritage, Second Edition by Jim Thomson ISBN 0-9517785-1-X

External links

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