Events

THE Helensburgh area had two legal distilleries — and many illicit stills.

John Ashworth OBE, retired chief executive of the Chivas Brothers group, told the Helensburgh Heritage Trust meeting in Helensburgh Tennis Club on Wednesday evening that one distillery was at Altdonaig, Rhu, and the other behind the Victoria Hall in the burgh.

"Surely this is a spelling mistake?" That was the reaction of many people when they saw the title of the talk which Simon Green of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland gave to Helensburgh Heritage Trust on Wednesday January 25. However, it was no mistake!

The baffling title was "The Bute-ifying of Scotland". The solution to the conundrum came in the subtitle to the talk, which was "The Architectural and Archaeological Patronage of the 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Bute". And what a patronage it was.

THE history of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was described in an illustrated talk given to Helensburgh Heritage Trust's final open meeting of 2011 by Joyce Steele on Wednesday November 30.

Mrs Steele, who lives in Garelochhead with her husband Colonel Bobby Steele, is the curator and manager of the regiment's museum in the King's Old Building at Stirling Castle.

HELENSBURGH Heritage Trust's 2011-12 winter session of talks started on September 28 with a thought-provoking presentation from Michael Davis, the Trust's first and only honorary life member.

Although his subject was 'Castle Restorations', the talk covered a much broader field. This became apparent from his very first slide which was entitled 'A Restoration Tragedy', and which contained further wording in the style of a Victorian melodrama in three acts and with a prologue!

HELENSBURGH Heritage Trust organised a very successful visit for members and friends to Dumfries House and Aiket Castle on Wednesday June 8 2011.

As promised when Charlotte Rostek Davis (pictured) spoke to the Trust, the special visit was arranged to see the historic Dumfries House, near Cumnock, now reopened by HRH The Prince of Wales, Great Steward of Scotland, after a major refurbishment.

HELENSBURGH Heritage Trust now has its first ever honorary life member.

The board of the Trust agreed to confer this honour when they heard that Mike Davis, reference librarian at Helensburgh Library in West King Street, was taking early retirement.

THE formation of Helensburgh's Lomond School was described at the final open meeting of the Helensburgh Heritage Trust winter season in Helenburgh Tennis Club on Wednesday March 30 2011.

The speaker was David Arthur MBE, the first headmaster of the new school — which came about through the merger of St Bride's School for girls of all ages and Larchfield Preparatory School for boys.

THE five year project to restore gates and fencing to the Victoria Hall was described to members of Helensburgh Heritage Trust at their February 2011 open meeting.

Tony Dance, who led the project on behalf of the Friends of the Victoria Hall, gave a very well illustrated talk which demonstrated the complexity and the skills involved in the metalwork and stone masonry. The original fencing was removed in 1942 for the war effort.

THE colourful life of a Helensburgh man who is believed to be the first man to make diamonds artificially was described to members and guests at the Helensburgh Heritage Trust meeting in Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday January 26 2011.

Guest speaker David Harvie FSAScot from Dumbarton revealed the many facets of the life of James Ballantyne Hannay, with illustrations of where he lived and worked.

THE story of the very successful excavation at High Morlaggan, near Arrochar, was told to Helensburgh Heritage Trust members and guests at the November 2010 open meeting.

Organisers Fiona Jackson and Sue Furness told the well attended meeting in Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club about the two-week dig by the Morlaggan Rural Settlement Group, assisted by pupils of Arrochar Primary School, which took place in 2009.

HELENSBURGH Heritage Trust chairman Stewart Noble described many of the old railway lines which served Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven and Glasgow in a talk at the Trust's well-attended October open meeting in Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club.

A VEIL of secrecy was lifted for Helensburgh Heritage Trust members and guests at the first meeting of the 2010-11 winter session on September 29. 

David W.Norman, whose father James was Superintendent of the top secret Admiralty Hydro Ballistic Research Establishment at the west end of Glen Fruin from 1950 to 1969, gave an excellent talk about the establishment.