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Balfron ( gd, Both Fron) 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 settlement.


History

The name means 'cottage of mourning' in
Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
. 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".Balfron's history
''Balfron Heritage Group''
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. 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. Balfron Tower, a high-rise residential building in London designed by Ernő Goldfinger, was named after the village in 1967.


Facilities

Balfron has shops, a health centre, a village hall and a secondary school ( Balfron High School). The town also contains a fire station, garage, ambulance depot, police station, primary school, bowling green and an 18-hole golf course. There is a branch of the Bank of Scotland. There is a gift shop – Wonderland and Doyles cafe – 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. The new school was built as a public-private partnership (PPP) with the company
Jarvis plc Jarvis may refer to: People * Jarvis (name), both as a surname and given name * Järvis, an Estonian surname Places * 3353 Jarvis, an asteroid named after Gregory Jarvis * Jarvis, Missouri, a community in the United States * Jarvis, Ontario ...
under the PPP policy of the Scottish Executive which was then run by the Scottish Labour Party. 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 The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 199 ...
) 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. Many youth groups work in the village including Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, scouts and guides. Balfron Rovers Football Club are a Scottish association football club based in Balfron. As of 2014, they play in the
Forth and Endrick Football League Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
.


Transport

Balfron railway station, on the line between
Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...
and Aberfoyle, was opened to serve the commuter town in 1856. It closed in 1951. The main road in Balfron is the A875. Local bus services are provided by McGill's Scotland East.


Communication

The Balfron telephone exchange serves (approx) 970 residential premises and 55 non-residential premises. Internet Broadband services are available, but BT Openreach have not upgraded the Balfron exchange since it was updated for ADSL Max Broadband in March 2006. 21CN WBC and fibre services are not available from this exchange. There is no Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) operator presence.


People from Balfron

*
Alexander 'Greek' Thomson Alexander "Greek" Thomson (9 April 1817 – 22 March 1875) was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was ...
(1817 – 1875) was born in Balfron to a father who was a bookkeeper at Ballindalloch Mill. He became an eminent Glaswegian architect and architectural theorist and a pioneer in
sustainable building Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planni ...
. *
George Thomson George Thomson may refer to: Government and politics * George Thomson (MP for Southwark) (c. 1607–1691), English merchant and Parliamentarian soldier, official and politician * George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth (1921–2008), Scottish p ...
(1819 – 1878), brother of Alexander Thomson, was born in Balfron. After an early career as an architect became a baptist missionary in Limbe, Cameroon (then known as ''"Victoria"''), where he combined his religious activities with a passion for botany. An
epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
orchid of the genus ''
Pachystoma ''Pachystoma'', commonly known as kunai orchids or 粉口兰属 (fen kou lan shu), is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are deciduous, terrestrial herbs with one or two linear, pleated or veiny le ...
'' was named ''Pachystoma thomsonianum'' in his honour. * Harold and Frank Barnwell, known as the Barnwell Brothers, were also from Balfron. They 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. *
Sir William Bilsland Sir William Bilsland LLD (17 March 1847 – 27 August 1921) was a Scottish baker who owned one of Scotland's largest bakeries, and was Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was an elder of the United Free Church of Scotland and a supporter of the tem ...
(1847–1921) was born at Ballat, near Balfron, of forebears who had been for several centuries farmers in the neighbouring parish of Kilmaronock. He joined his brother, James, who ran a small family bakery in Anderston, Glasgow. He acquired 12 vans, as well as horses and carts, to distribute Bilslands bread all over Scotland. He later acquired other firms including Gray and Dunn biscuit manufacturers in 1912. William later became Lord Provost of Glasgow and was created a baronet in 1907. *
Sir Robert Muir Sir Robert Muir, FRS, FRSE, FRCP, FRCPE, FRFPSG (5 July 1864 – 30 March 1959) was a Scottish physician and pathologist who carried out pioneering work in immunology, and was one of the leading figures in medical research in Glasgow in the ...
, FRS, FRSE, FRCP, FRCPE, RFPSG (5 July 1864 – 30 March 1959) was a Scottish physician and pathologist who carried out pioneering work in immunology, and was one of the leading figures in medical research in Glasgow in the early 20th century.Robert Muir
Glasgow University (multitab page)
Born in Balfron, he was the son of a minister. * Prof
George Eason Prof George Eason FRSE FIMA (1930–1999) was a British mathematician who was Professor of Mathematics at Strathclyde University 1970 to 1983. He did work on the dynamical theory of elasticity. He wrote papers relating to mathematical solutions o ...
FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
(1930-1999), Professor of Mathematics at Strathclyde University, lived with his family in Balfron. * Dr Brian Douglas Keighley was a general practitioner (GP) who practiced in Balfron for 40 years, and was the chair of the Scottish Council of the
British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...
(BMA) from 2009 to December 2014. * Douglas N. Muir is the Senior Curator of Philately at The Postal Museum in London, formerly the
British Postal Museum & Archive The Postal Museum (formerly the British Postal Museum & Archive) is a postal museum run by the Postal Heritage Trust. It began in 2004 as The British Postal Museum & Archive and opened in Central London as The Postal Museum on 28 July 2017. Si ...
and a signatory to the Book of Scottish Philatelists and the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. Muir was born in Balfron. * Brian McGinley was rated one of Scotland's top referees and was on both the FIFA and UEFA lists. *
Lauren Gray Lauren Gray (born 3 November 1991) is a Scottish curler from Stirling. As alternate for the Eve Muirhead rink, she won a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships for Scotland, and a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics for Great Britai ...
(born 3 November 1991) is a Scottish curler. She won a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships for Scotland, and a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics for Great Britain. She won a gold medal at the 2017 European Championships. *
Logan Gray Logan Gray (born 23 June 1986) is a Scottish former curler. He is a two-time World Junior curling bronze medallist. He is the brother of curler Lauren Gray. Gray was educated at Balfron High School, where he became Scottish Schools Curling Cha ...
(born 23 June 1986), brother of Lauren Gray, is a Scottish former curler. He is a two-time World Junior curling bronze medallist.


References


External links


Balfron Heritage Group
aims to promote the history of the village and parish : preserving the past – protecting the future. {{Authority control Villages in Stirling (council area)