Helensburgh Heritage
Helensburgh Heritage Trust
A MULTI-CENTRE Religious Heritage exhibition was staged in the Helensburgh District in August and September 1998, and there was quite a story to tell.
It started in the then Cove Church hall — very appropriately, as St Modan brought Christianity to that part of the area in the beginning. The other two churches were the then St Columba Church in Helensburgh and Cardross Parish Church.
ON THE HILLSIDE above Garelochhead there is a small sandstone monument near the B833.
Along a signposted track created by Ghurkas in 1992 and next to a picnic table, it is inscribed only: “Here Isabella Campbell was wont to pray.”
THIS is the story of Mr Story. His son was also Mr Story . . . and his slave was Mr Story as well!
First there was the Rev Robert Story, the Rosneath Free Church minister, who had a slave who took the name Robert Story.
HELENSBURGH’S seafront Clock Tower was put up for sale last year by owners VisitScotland, who used it as a tourist information office, and it was bought recently by a local firm.
It will be the start of the fourth chapter in the life of what began as the Old Parish Church.
THIS second story features the second Mr Story — fellow Rosneath minister Robert Herbert Story, son of Robert Story.
Both parish ministers were much loved by their Garelochside congregation, but while his father was in post for 42 years until his death, the son moved on to become a major figure in religious education.
ONE of the most astonishing tales in the history of the village of Rhu is what was described at the time as the Row Heresy scandal.
In October 1825 the Church of Row, the then name for Rhu, called the Rev John McLeod Campbell to be their minister.
I ENJOYED listening to the story-tellers of the older generation relating the fascinating history of our surrounding countryside. So much history of the area had been handed down to them in the days before the great upheaval of World War Two, television and the electronic age.
It helped that many of the sites were available to visit, such as Glen Fruin which was once heavily populated. The large green mound in the glen was a familiar sight to us children.