Familiar Road.

     What a beautiful day, so ventured out on the dream machine to a familiar patch, but one I hadn't visited for some considerable time. A wee run around Milton of Campsie. Not the flattest of routes but well loved by yours truly. I'm sure they make those hills a bit higher each year, or so it feels. I'm sure there must be another reason I'm overlooking for that thought. 

      Stopped to take a couple of photos at the cafe I sometimes popped into for that obligatory plate of soup and coffee, It is of course closed because of this Covid19 beastie. No following camera woman Stasia on this route. The name of the cafe refers to where it is, near the Campsie Fells. 

    Across the road from the cafe there is a little garden with a marble bench seat. The inscription, which I don't think you can read in the photo, tells us that it was created in memory of one of our far too many politicians, Charles Kennedy, JP., and counciller, for this area, not to be confused with the other Charles Kennedy Liberal MP. 

      Another claim to fame for this wee village is that a farm in Milton of Campsie area was the birth place of Scottish radical, Thomas Muir.

Visitg ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Thomas Muir Festival 2019.

         Thomas Muir, one of Scotland's many principled radicals, one of those severally dealt with by the authorities he challenged, is being celebrated in a festival at the end of October until the end of November. Well worth marking your diary.

Thomas Muir Festival 2019.

Whats on / All Events

         Events and times may change, please check website and/or our facebook prior to attending an event, to make sure times & details are up to date

Thomas Muir Symposium:  Tuesday 22nd. October.

‘Commemorating Thomas Muir:

Past, Present and Future’

Drawing on speakers from Scotlands’ academic community, secondary school pupils and members of local history societies. Afternoon includes talks and music

Where: St Ninians High, Kirkintilloch

Time: 12.45pm to 4.30pm

Free: Booking required -

email address: dwmmartindon@live.co.uk

University of Glasgow Thomas Muir Lecture. Thursday 31st. October

on Democracy and Civil Society

Inaugural Lecture: Professor Sir T.M. Devine, 'Unyielding Power: Foundations of Elite Supremacy in Eighteenth Century Scotland'

Where: Kelvin Hall, Glasgow

Time: 6pm Free (Booking essential)

2019 East Dunbartonshire Schools

Art Competition & Exhibition, 16th.-24th. November.

Finalist Exhibition: Art work short listed and selected by a panel of judges. Over all winning pupil and school will be announced.

Ages: P1 to S6

Where: Thomas Muir Coffee Shop, Bishopbriggs, G64 1RP

Time: 9.30am to 4pm (Mon - Sat) Free (Drop in)

Michelle McManus

& The Flaming Blackhearts in Concert. Friday 29th. November.

Unique, intimate venue with superb acoustics

Support: Jo Mango

Where: Cadder Church, Bishopbriggs G64 3JJ

Time: 7:00pm for 7.30pm to 10.15pm

Price: £14 + booking fee

Booking info...

 Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Plundering The Common Goods.

         Once again our local councils play fast and loose with our property. East Dunbartonshire council has decided to sell another part of our heritage, Thomas Muir’s Huntershill House, Thomas Muir was Scottish radical, world known, from the 1700’s. Apart from its historical value, this is a large house, B listed, it is in a poor state of repair, probably deliberately by the council’s neglect. It stands in a considerable piece of land, and what is more, the house and land is Common Goods Property. As far as I am aware it has been sold for £147,000, house and grounds. This in an area where houses sitting in land less than half the size of this plot sell for more than £250,000. No doubt the developer will be rubbing their hands with glee, as they make their way to the bank with the proceeds of their windfall, courtesy of the East Dunbartonshire Council.

 Thomas Muir's House at Huntershill.

            At a meeting of the council’s Development and Regeneration Committee in January, it was agreed to sell Huntershill House and its immediate surrounding land to Brian Thomas Gray (trading as “E & R Properties”) for redevelopment as a care home and relative offices.
          In a letter to Thomas Dibble, secretary of Bishopbriggs Community Council, EDC’s legal department wrote: “As the council considers this property to form part of the Bishopbriggs Common Good, a petition has been raised at Glasgow Sheriff Court to seek the court’s permission to proceed with the sale - as is required in terms of Section 75(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.”
           Members of the public have 21 days to raise an objection to the plan and the court hearing has been set for 
Friday, March 13. Thomas Glen, East Dunbartonshire Council’s director of development and regeneration, said: “East Dunbartonshire Council’s Development and Regeneration Committee agreed at a meeting on January 28 to progress with the sale of Huntershill House and associated land.
        Read more at: http://www.kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk/news/muir-s-house-to-be-care-home-1-3687573

Applicant
Mr Brian Gray
E&R Property Company Ltd
4 Eaglesham Road
Clarkston
Glasgow
Scotland
G76 7BT

Agent
Deborah Lauder
Oakshaw Architectural Design Ltd
Flat 9 Oakshaw Court
62 Oakshaw Street West
Paisley
United Kingdom
PA1 2DE

Case Officer East Dunbartonshire Council
Max Wilson
0141 578 8637
Historic Scotland Louisa Humm

Planning report:
http://planning.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/online-applications/files/4E158103E93855AB1660346EBD956EAB/pdf/TP_ED_16_0444-REPORT_OF_HANDLING-253773.pdf

     Heritage appraisal did not take into account the radical history element. Stasia comment.

http://planning.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/online-applications/files/1E9BBA74C09ED801EE74E9103546D67E/pdf/TP_ED_16_0444-PL15_-_HERITAGE_APPRAISAL-243661.pdf
 

http://planning.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/online-applications/files/265ED369CEFD68C78A885B2CAF376E39/pdf/TP_ED_16_0444-PL14_DESIGN_STATEMENT-243542.pdf
The link to these documents now state, "documents not available".

Here is a live link:

https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/residents/planning-and-building-standards

Then the following pathways:

Planning applications

Planning Applications Search

Planning Applications Search in red text

Enter Keyword - Huntershill

Planning Application TP/ED/16/0444- Application Summary

17 Documents with this application

PL15 Preliminary Heritage Appraisal

and check out Design Statement.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - THOMAS MUIR.

       No matter how far back we go in our history, we always find that the state will always come down hard on those who dare to try to change the system in favour of the ordinary people. Our history is litterd with brutality handed out to people who would dare to challenge the state's monopoly on power. It will fight hard to protect the status-quo retaining the power and wealth in the hands of the few.

THOMAS MUIR, 1765-1799.
EARLY LIFE.

Thomas Muir was born and lived at a place called Huntershill, a district just to the north of Glasgow. The house still stands surrounded by it's gardens and trees. Thomas was born into a wealthy home. He studied law at Glasgow University but left on a point of honour in 1780 and completed his studies at Edinburgh University eventually having a law practice in Glasgow. He was however drawn to the reform movements that had developed all over Scotland. The reform movements had gathered momentum as the French revolution in 1789 inspired support for parliamentary reform all over Britain. Thomas Muir had connections with numerous reform societies throughout Scotland; in 1792 with William Skirving he helped to set up Scottish Reform Clubs, the membership open to every class. He wrote many pamphlets and spoke at a considerable number of meetings. He was an open and ardent supporter of radical political reform at a time when the authorities were becoming ever more nervous due to the events in France.

ARREST AND BANISHMENT.

One year later, after presenting a nationalistic address to the Scottish Reform Movement General Convention, on behalf of United Irishmen. Thomas Muir was arrested and charged with sedition. His trial date, which took place in Edinburgh, was brought forward by several months while he was visiting France. Unable to get travelling arrangements in time, his non attendance made him an outlaw. He was found guilty of, '...having created disaffection by means of seditious speeches'. He returned to Scotland in August 1793 and was sentenced to be banished to Botany Bay for 14 years. However, George Washington heard of his sentence and sent the USS Otter to rescue him and take him to the new Republic of America. His escape was made good in 1796, however the USS Otter, on its way home was wrecked off Panama. Thomas Muir was then arrested by the Spanish and taken to Havana where he was deemed to be a spy and shipped back to Spain. On the way back to Spain they encountered three British ships and a battle ensued in which Thomas Muir lost an eye. The Spanish released him in 1797 whereupon he made his way to France. He was made a French citizen and died at Chantilly in 1799.

Continue READING:

More on Glasgow's working class history.

ann arky's home.