Wikipedia

Fintry

For the provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, see Fintry Provincial Park and Protected Area. For the district of the city of Dundee, see Fintry, Dundee.

Fintry is a small riverside village in Stirlingshire, central Scotland.[1] It is located 16 miles (26 km) south-west of Stirling and around 19 miles (31 km) north of Glasgow.

Fintry
Looking down on Fintry from the north slopes of the Campsie Fells
Fintry is located in Stirling
Fintry
Fintry
Location within the Stirling council area
Population717 
OS grid referenceNS615865
Civil parish
  • Fintry
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGLASGOW
Postcode districtG63 0**
Dialling code01360
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°03′12″N 4°13′27″W / 56.053350°N 4.224040°W / 56.053350; -4.224040

Landscape

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The village of Fintry sits by the Endrick Water in a strath between the Campsie Fells and the Fintry Hills.[2]

The village of Fintry is overlooked by Stronend, the 511-metre (1,677 ft) culmination of the Fintry Hills, which forms the western end of a range of hills which stretch east to the city of Stirling, Scotland.

The Loup of Fintry, is a notable 94ft waterfall on the Endrick Water around 2 miles to the east of a Fintry. This is best seen after prolonged rain or snowfall. The total height of the waterfalls is 28.6 m (94 ft). Lowp or "Loup" means leap in Scots.

Preservation

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Local Landscape Area (LLA)

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The Loup of Fintry

The name Fintry is said to have derived from the Old Gaelic for "Fair Land"[1] and is designated as a Local Landscape Area (LLA) (formally called a Special Landscape Area or Area of Great Landscape Value).[3] This designation is with the aim of protecting the village and its surroundings outstanding natural environment.

Conservation Area

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Main Street, Fintry

Stirling Council has classified Fintry as a Conservation Area in order to preserve the settlement's particular historical shape and character.

Fintry Conservation Area is centred on its long Main Street, which is located on the river's south bank, across the Fintry Bridge from the historic Culcreuch Mill site. 150 of the 700 strong population living within the Fintry Conservation area.[1]

Facilities

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Schools

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The village has a local primary school, which was opened on 22 September 1961 by the Rt. Hon. Thomas Johnston.[4] There is also an attached council run nursery, Fintry Nursery. Both the nursery and primary school serve Fintry and the surrounding rural district.

Fintry Nursery

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The Nursery has two rooms and a kitchen,[4] it recently underwent major refurbishment and was awarded a five star inspection in February 2023.[5]

Fintry Primary School

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Fintry Primary School is at the foot of Dunmore Hill, and has five classrooms, one of which is adapted into a library, with and an assembly hall. The school has grounds, incl. a school garden, an all-weather pitch, a trim trail and a woodland area.[4] There is a "School Taxi" provided by the council to pick up and drop off children from the surrounding rural areas.[6]

Balfron High School

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Fintry is within the catchment area of Balfron High School, for which a school bus is provided.

Sport & Strathendrick RFC

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The village has a Sports Club, which includes a 4-rink indoor bowling hall, squash club and gym.

The rugby pitches adjacent are home to Strathendrick Rugby Football Club, a rugby union side founded in 1975 and based in the village. Strathendrick RFC 1st XV play in West Division One and has a tradition of touring; and it has toured in Kansas (1992) and Toronto (2001).[7]

They have an active mini and midi set up which works closely with local schools, including Fintry Primary School.

Fintry Public Hall

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Fintry resident Sir Walter Menzies MP built the Menzies Hall to celebrate the coming of age of his son, James, in 1907.[8] On 9 October 1908, Fintry Public Hall opened to the public. The building still operates under its current name ‘Menzies Hall’ in dedication to the man who gave it to the village.

Menzies Hall is a community building run by local residents for the benefits of the village and surrounding area. The hall is still used as a village hall and hosts events, and clubs, including Fintry Amateur Dramatic Society.

Fintry Kirk

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The Village of Fintry is served by Fintry Kirk, a Church of Scotland Parish in the Presbytery of Stirling. The kirk is located to the East of the village, in "Old Fintry". The parish minister for Fintry is shared with Balfron with the Manse located there.

Public Transport

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There is no regular bus or train service in Fintry. Public transport is provided by the Stirling Council Demand-responsive transport (DRT) "Taxi" Service.

Economy

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The Fintry Development Trust

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The Fintry Development Trust (FDT) was created in 2003 by residents who wanted to "do something with renewable energy" in their community. When plans to establish a wind farm in the area were announced, they created Fintry Renewable Energy Enterprise (FREE) in 2003 and secured the addition of one community-owned wind turbine.[9]

In efforts to move the village towards zero-carbon and zero-waste, FDT has established several energy-saving activities, including a car-sharing programme, as well as a farming initiative and a communal orchard.[9]

FDT is doing energy surveys on properties around the village and insulating every home surveyed. To improve energy efficiency, the Trust installed a biomass heating system at Fintry Sports Club and a new heating system at Menzies Village Hall.[9]

FDT prioritises sustainable development, local jobs, youth housing, and skill development; sharing wind turbine benefits throughout the town and compensating village residents who are unable to benefit directly.[9]

Businesses

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Fintry Inn

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Fintry has been served by the village pub the Fintry Inn for over 250 years, barring a period of closure during the pandemic. It is owned and operated by a local family and home to their micro-brewery, Mosaik Brewing.[10]

The Inn is said to be haunted by a non-threatening female ghost.[11]

Fintry Sports Club

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As well as being home to Strathendrick RFC, Fintry's Sports Club has a restaurant/cafe and bar, a shop (for essentials) and a gym with sauna.

Knockraich Farm

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Home to The Courtyard Cafe, Katy Rodgers Artisan Dairy and The Tin Shed wedding venue, Knockraich Farm has been owned and managed by the Rodgers family since 1955.[12][13][14]

History

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Neolithic & Bronze age

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There is evidence of people living in the area as early at the Bronze age, up to 4,000 years ago.[15]

"Old Fintry"

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"Old" Fintry was formed around the Church area or Clachan of Fintry in the early 13th century.[15]

Culcreuch Castle

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Culcreuch Castle

Culcreuch Castle was also built in Fintry around this period, in 1296, and was the historic seat of the chiefs of the Galbraith clan until 1624 when a series of scandals lost them their status under Scots Law.[17]

From 1699, the Barons of Culcreuch resided there. The castle was converted into a hotel in the 1980s[18] and operated as such until early 2020, bringing its 700-year lifespan to an end. Until 2020, it was Central Scotland's longest-inhabited castle.

Culcreuch is a three-story, attic-topped rectangular tower house with a parapet and slate roof. The Napier family built the north and east expansions to the old tower about 1721, which match the original tower in style. The Castle is accessible by path from the village and is a popular local walk.

"New Fintry"

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The small industrial ‘new town’ of Fintry (or "Newton of Fintry") developed north-west of the original clachan following the establishment of the Culcreuch cotton spinning mill by Peter Spiers in 1795. The mill and two small settlements were recorded in the mid-eighteenth century. the village had retained examples of former mill workers’ housing alongside traditional buildings from the later eighteenth and turn of the nineteenth centuries.[1]

Notable people

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Democracy

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The 2011 census results report that Fintry and the surrounding rural area had a population of 717.[19]

Local Government

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The village is within the Forth and Endrick ward of Stirling Council.[20] The Stirling Council Council Ward (Forth and Endrick) representatives are: Rosemary Fraser (SNP), Gerry McGarvey (Labour), Paul Henke (Conservative)[20]

Scottish Parliament

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The Scottish Parliament elects representatives under an additional member system (AMS).[21] Fintry is in the Stirling Scottish Parliamentary Constituency, and the Mid Scotland and Fife Scottish Parliamentary region.[20]

This means that Fintry has one Stirling MSP, Evelyn Tweed MSP (SNP), and seven Mid Scotland and Fife Scottish regional list MSPs.[20]

House of Commons of the United Kingdom

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Fintry is also in the Stirling constituency for House of Commons of the United Kingdom, where they are represented by Alyn Smith MP[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d unknown, ed. (2015). Fintry Conservation Area Appraisal - July 2015 (PDF). Scottish Government. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. ^ Francis Groome, ed. (1885). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical. Thomas C Jack. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  3. ^ Scottish National Heritage (2017). "Local Landscape Area 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Fintry Primary School Handbook 2022/2023" (PDF). Stirling Council Schools, Learning & Education. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  5. ^ Marjoribanks, Kaiya (10 March 2023). "More than 200 sign petition calling for re-think over budget cut plans that could put future of nursery in jeopardy". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  6. ^ "School Transport". Stirling Council. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  7. ^ "History". www.strathendrickrfc.com.
  8. ^ a b Fintry Museum (2021). "Fintry Kirk". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d Kenny, Sue (2015). Challenging the Third Sector: Global Prospects for Active Citizenship. Bristol University Press. p. 192. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1t898qf.16. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  10. ^ Gary Armstrong (3 June 2022). "Historic Scottish country pub near Glasgow reopens after being bought by local family". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  11. ^ Daily Express (18 October 2018). "25 haunted pubs in Scotland to visit this Halloween". Scottish Daily Express. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  12. ^ Forth Valley Food and Drink (n.d.). "Katy Rodgers Artisan Dairy". Forth Valley Food and Drink. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  13. ^ Catriona Thomson (24 December 2020). "Scotland's Larder: Katy and her daughter Helena, from Katy Rodger's artisan dairy". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  14. ^ Fin Flükra (10 October 2019). "Destination Scottish Wedding: Tin Shed, Knockraich Farm". Fin Flükra Blog. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  15. ^ a b Fintry Museum (2021). "Fintry Kirk". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  16. ^ Ancient Monuments UK (2021). "Todholes,cairn 1300m NNW of". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  17. ^ Galbraith History scotclans.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2007
  18. ^ "1984 - 2007: Laird Andrew Haslam of Culcreuch | History | About Culcreuch Castle". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  19. ^ "2011 Census Stirling Community Council Area Profiles, Fintry" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d e "WriteToThem - Choose your representative". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  21. ^ "How the Scottish Parliament works" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
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