Helensburgh Heritage
Helensburgh Heritage Trust
LIKE many other places, Helensburgh and district went through an era when it was surrounded by toll houses, and there was a price to pay for travel.
It was because of complaints about the state of the road between Helensburgh and that a check bar was established at Ardencaple in 1838, and further complaints after storm damage in 1852 led to it being upgraded to a toll bar in a bid to generate income for repairs.
A SHIPOWNER who lived in an upper Helensburgh mansion doubled it in size — and it later became two separate houses.
Glenys Hierzer, who lives in Campbeltown, New South Wales, Australia, great grand-daughter of James Aitken and his wife Emily, who lived at Burton Hill, has been researching her family tree and is looking for more information.
A POPULAR spot in Helensburgh for walkers is the Duchess Wood Local Nature Reserve.
The Duchess Wood, which used to be known as the Bluebell Wood for obvious reasons, has been loved and used by many generations of local people.
A DAMAGED glacial boulder from 10,000 years ago catches the eye of walkers on the popular Upland Walkway footpath near its junction with the Highlandman’s Road on the hillside above Helensburgh and Rhu.
But as more and more walkers use the footpath, concern is growing about the need to preserve the relic of the past.
ARDENCONNEL House in Rhu these days consists of high quality flats . . . but in days gone by it was a holiday hotspot.
The B-listed mansion was built by the Buchanan family in the late 18th century, and its uses have included family home, holiday home, and Sergeants Mess.
TRAFFIC roars past the Faslane Peace Camp, with few people in the vehicles realising that a gem of a mansion is hidden by the trees. But there is considerable doubt over its future.
HELENSBURGH has always been a popular destination for day trippers and holidaymakers, despite its variable weather.
The visitors have been vital to the burgh’s economy and this was just as true a century ago. A Helensburgh guide book from the early 1900s noted: “Tourist people are no fools; well they know good summer quarters as the troutling knows the pools.”