FEB / MAR 2020
LOCAL HISTORY:
HOW DYNAMITE CAME TO
SCOTLAND
INTERIORS: CHARITY:
COULD YOU HOST A TEA PARTY?
P14 TO OUR FEB/MAR EDITION
W
elcome to the first Konect of 2020. We’re looking forward to another year of celebrating all things Falkirk!
I stumbled across the fact that it was a Falkirk man who was instrumental in helping Alfred Nobel, of Nobel Prize fame, set up the world’s first dynamite factory, and who was in partnership with him running the chemical factory at Reddingmuirhead. There is a much closer connection with the area than simply his name associated with the factories that used to be in Reddingmuir and Linlithgow. So I enjoyed looking into the history of Nobel explosives in Scotland and I hope you too enjoy the local history article this month. A charity tackling loneliness amongst older residents in Falkirk, Re-engage (formerly known as Contact the Elderly) organises regular Sunday afternoon tea parties in the homes of local volunteers, which can be a lifeline for some people. See their article on page 14 and get in touch if you feel you could host the occasional tea party or help out with driving. All our usual columns are here. Thank you for reading Konect and for supporting local businesses, charities and organisations.
THIS ISSUE Local History: How dynamite came to Scotland...................................................... 8 Charity: Re-engage.....................................14 Puzzles..........................................................16 Interiors: Cosy Up Your Home..................18 What’s On......................................................20 Clubs & Classes..........................................20 Sponsor a Donkey.......................................21
Konect is delivered to 7,500 households in central Falkirk, Lionthorn and Larbert. Copies are also left at libraries, community centres and other locations throughout Falkirk.
HELEN-JANE SHEARER Editor
E: editor@konect.scot
COVER IMAGE: View of the Union Canal at Reddingmuirhead, where it was once straddled by the Nobel factories. See P8 @KonectMagazines
CHARLENE GAFFNEY Account Manager
M: 07772 941899 E: charlene@konect.scot FALKIRK | 3
(weekly cleans)
Email: falkirk@timeforyou.co.uk www.timeforyou.cleaning/Falkirk
find us on facebook Time For You FK
4 | FALKIRK
@KonectMagazines
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 5
6 | FALKIRK
@KonectMagazines
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 7
AND THE FALKIRK CHEMIST WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833 ~ 1896)
LOCAL HISTORY
The Nobel Prizes are announced annually; world-famous coveted prizes for those who confer “the greatest benefit on mankind” in sciences, literature, economics and peace. They are named after Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who, horrified that his armaments and explosives empire would earn him the epitaph “Merchant of Death,” left his fortune for the furtherance of world peace and progress. by explosions and tragedy; a nitroglycerine explosion at his family’s armaments factory in Sweden in 1864 killed his own brother Alfred Nobel himself lived for a period of and four others. Undaunted, Alfred pressed time at Hawthorn Cottage in Laurieston. His on and a year later with German business story meets that of a former Falkirk High partners he built a factory at an isolated School pupil, George McRoberts, a local location near Hamburg. This business (Alfred chemist and explosives expert who founded Nobel & Company) exported a liquid blend of a chemical factory at Westquarter, and who was instrumental in helping Nobel establish in nitroglycerin and gunpowder called “Blasting Oil,” but it was still extremely unstable; the Scotland the world’s first and largest factory factory buildings for his revolutionary were destroyed twice new explosive – in explosions. dynamite. A former Falkirk High School pupil But Alfred was Born in Sweden in was instrumental in helping Alfred tenacious and, 1833, Nobel was Nobel to establish in Scotland the carrying out a prolific inventor. world’s first and largest factory for experiments on a Dynamite, his most his revolutionary new explosive – raft anchored on famous invention, dynamite. the River Elbe, by revolutionised the 1866 he found a way construction of of stabilising nitroglycerine by absorbing it tunnels, canals, railways and roads as well as into a siliceous clay which could be shaped the mining industry. Previously, black powder into lengths and handled fairly safely. This, (gunpowder) had been used for mining and together with a safety fuse and detonator quarrying, but industrialists were looking for a (that he also invented), was dynamite. Initially high explosive. One discovered by an Italian chemist in 1847 – nitroglycerine - was powerful marketed as Nobel’s Blasting Powder, he but highly unstable and dangerous, and Alfred changed the name to dynamite, from the Greek dýnamis -”power.” He patented it, Nobel was one of many looking for a safe and was on the road to massive fortune. way of using it. The route was punctuated But what does this Swedish and indeed global story have to do with Falkirk?
8 | FALKIRK
@KonectMagazines
Nobel’s cottage in Laurieston Swing Bridge at the Reddingmuir Westquarter factory (1930)
McRoberts became Nobel’s chief chemist and factory manager at Ardeer in 1874. He relocated from Laurieston to Ardeer, selling his home “Hawthorn Cottage” at 1 Polmont Road, Laurieston, to Alfred Nobel. Hawthorn Cottage is still a private residence and is the only building remaining in Scotland that is directly associated with Nobel. By 1876 Nobel decided to manufacture his detonators in Scotland too instead of importing them, and he chose the Westquarter factory to make them, using mercury fulminate brought in from abroad. A couple of years later he decided to also make the fulminate on site here, and a purpose-built factory was added to the Westquarter site, about half a kilometre south at Reddingmuirhead on the other side of the Union Canal. There was a swing bridge across the canal linking the two factories.
The swing bridge today
Both McRoberts and Nobel died in 1896 – McRoberts in Scotland in January @KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 9
CREDIT: Historic Environment Scotland
Dynamite rapidly gained wide-scale use in several countries, but in the UK it took Nobel two years of persistence to gain some relaxation of regulations governing explosives. The Explosives Act of 1869 prohibited the manufacture, transport or sale of nitroglycerine or any product containing it in the UK. Although not able to set up in England, he turned to Scotland where he gained the backing of some Scottish entrepreneurs including one George McRoberts. McRoberts had just founded the Westquarter Chemical Company in 1871, manufacturing sulphuric acid. He and a co-investor raised the substantial investment required for Nobel to build a dynamite factory in Scotland, and the British Dynamite Company was formed. Nobel also bought a half share of McRoberts’ Westquarter Chemical Company, since the sulphuric acid was a key ingredient for dynamite manufacture, and the two men were close business partners. Ardeer in Ayrshire was chosen as a sufficiently remote site for the factory, the first charge was produced there in January 1873 by Alfred Nobel himself; and the British Dynamite Company started taking orders.
A new factory was opened at Linlithgow in 1902. It was named the Regent Factory in a nod to Linlithgow’s link with the Regent of Scotland James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, who was assassinated in Linlithgow in 1570. His death was the first recorded assassination by a firearm, so it seems fitting that this name was chosen for an explosives factory. (A plaque on the wall of the Courthouse Residence on the High Street commemorates the assassination). The Nobel factory was located at the end of High Street where Tesco and the Regent Square flats are today. It manufactured safety fuses for the mining industry, mining explosives and detonators. At the onset of war in 1914 Nobel’s in Linlithgow successfully tendered for the War Office contract to provide guns, shells, small arms and ammunitions. Ironically given Alfred’s will, the Regent factory flourished and expanded as the war continued. Work also continued at Ardeer and Westquarter in the production and development of explosives and detonators throughout and after the two world wars. At its peak during World War II, the Westquarter works employed 1,700 people, predominantly women, producing detonators. Nothing remains today of the armaments factories at Westquarter or Linlithgow, although walking the sites for this article I found the old swing bridge in the canal at Reddingmuirhead. There are very few references to the industry, even in street names. Nobel didn’t want his legacy to be about armaments and explosives though, so perhaps just as well the name is fading here, and his famous prizes take centre stage. This article was written by Helen-Jane Shearer. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect Magazines. 10 | FALKIRK
Merchant of Death In 1888, Nobel was shocked to read his own obituary in a newspaper. Entitled “The Merchant of Death is Dead,” it was a case of mistaken identity as it was Alfred’s brother Ludvig who had died. However it made Alfred think about how he would be remembered, and he eventually changed his will, specifying that his fortune be used to create prizes for those who confer the “greatest benefit on mankind” in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. The peace element is awarded to the person who has “done the most to bring about the brotherhood of nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies as well as for the formation or popularisation of peace congresses.” Alfred Nobel died in December 1896 in his villa in San Remo, Italy, from a cerebral haemorrhage.
A spoonful of high explosive - for your heart Nitroglycerin is used to treat angina and high blood pressure, amongst other things, and is a World Health Association Essential Medicine. Don’t try this at home, but diluting it makes it non-explosive . . . Alfred Nobel was bothered with poor health throughout his life, and when first prescribed nitroglycerin in 1890 he refused it. A couple of months before his death in 1896 however, he wrote: “My heart trouble will keep me here in Paris for another few days at least, until my doctors are in complete agreement about my immediate treatment. Isn’t it the irony of fate that I have been prescribed N/G 1 [nitroglycerin] to be taken internally! They call it Trinitrin, so as not to scare the chemist and the public.”
@KonectMagazines
The Nobel Prize medal
and Nobel in Italy in December. The worldwide Nobel business empire at the time consisted of more than 90 factories manufacturing explosives and ammunition.
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 11
Cheers! Guests enjoying an afte rnoon tea party
Tackling loneliness in Falkirk with tea and company Loneliness is one of the most invisible but debilitating issues in society today, but all across Falkirk volunteers are working to ease social isolation among some of our most vulnerable residents – the over 75s. Re-engage, formerly known as Contact the Elderly, and its army of supporters tackle loneliness in this older generation through regular Sunday afternoon tea parties and other activities. The monthly events are usually hosted by a local volunteer in their home, and guests are chauffeured to and from the gatherings by volunteer drivers – a crucial service that solves any transport worries for those who have difficulty getting out and about. Scotland-wide there are more than 140 groups with more than 1000 guests whose lives are often transformed through this simple solution of some kindness and company over a cup of tea. In the Falkirk area there are currently two groups; one meets on the first Sunday of the month and one on the last Sunday of the month. They are currently recruiting volunteers for a third Falkirk tea party group, as well as for a “Reading Friends” group. Reading Friends brings people together to read, share stories, meet new friends and have fun, using reading – books, magazines, newspapers, or anything else – to start everyone chatting. Lorna Dunbar, the charity’s support officer for the area says: “Social isolation is one of society’s biggest problems, especially among the older generation, but we see the huge difference social events like ours can make to someone who perhaps doesn’t have the chance to interact with others as much as they would like. “Getting out and about can often become more difficult in later years, hindering social activities, and meeting new friends can be a little intimidating. But our drivers take all the anxiety out of travel and can become firm friends with guests. Plus the gatherings are small and intimate and everyone is just delighted to be part of the group.” “We’re always pleased to hear from anyone who would like to join, particularly volunteer drivers who 14 | FALKIRK
are vital to the success of Re-engage. We only ask them to devote two or three hours a month to ensure our guests continue to enjoy their Sunday afternoon out. “It’s really not much to ask if you’ve got a spare Sunday afternoon once a month and for anyone new to volunteering it’s an ideal way to get involved,” said Lorna. “We believe everyone should have the opportunity of a social life, no matter how old they are. Making friendships and meaningful connections is vital to well-being and our gettogethers can really help to enrich the lives of the older generation.” To find out more about becoming a volunteer with Re-engage, either for the Tea Parties or for Reading Friends, please contact Lorna Dunbar at lorna.dunbar@reengage.org.uk or call 01738 730249. • There are 5.4 million people in the UK who are over 75, and 2.2 million of them live alone • There are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK • Over half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all • Being lonely is miserable, but it can also have a very damaging affect on physical health and mental wellbeing: lonely people with poor social connections are more likely to suffer from dementia, heart disease and depression This article was contributed by Re-engage. Reengage (formerly Contact the Elderly) is a charity that is positive about older age and committed to fighting loneliness. @KonectMagazines
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 15
PUZZLES
BUSTER THE DOG
CROSSWORD
Solution in the April / May edition of Konect ACROSS: 1. Mail (4), 3. Smallest in length (8), 9. Rested (7), 10. Line of people (5), 11. To do with sums (12), 14. Early morning moisture (3), 16. Very angry (5), 17 Neckwear (3), 18. Despite (12), 21. Deal with (5), 22. Washing (7), 23. Interfering (8), 24. Enquires (4). DOWN: 1. Egyptian structures (8), 2. Divide (5), 4. Tool for carrying bricks (3), 5. Specific needs (12), 6. Graceful (7), 7. Long walk (4), 8. Still being tested (12), 12. Modify (5), 13. Letters or texts (8), 15. Saturday and Sunday (7), 19. Leaves (5), 20. Part of a flower (4), 22. Prohibit (3).
Solution in the April / May edition of Konect
SUDOKU
16 | FALKIRK
@KonectMagazines
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 17
Spring may still be a while off, but there are ways to make your interior more inviting, even in the midst of winter.
Make long, dark nights and chilly mornings more bearable with some clever thinking. To start, make sure your lighting is up to scratch. A well-designed lighting scheme reinforces a sense of security, comfort and vitality, and making dramatic improvements could be as simple as adding a floor lamp in a dark corner or a reading lamp next to a favourite armchair. For the best effect, layer lighting so that it comes from a variety of sources and directions. If on a budget, replace main light switches with dimmers, and plug in a selection of table or floor lamps at strategic points. Check that your bulbs give off the correct amount of illumination for the task at hand, and where appropriate are a ‘warm’ white in colour rather than ‘cool’. Add the leaping flames of a log burner or a few pretty tea lights or candles for an atmospheric evening in. Colour can make all the difference to a room’s feel, and a quick paint job – perhaps just on one wall – can be transformative. Earthy or spicy colours such as claret, mustard, ochre or chocolate are great choices, while navy or dark grey are more neutral and perhaps easier to live with all year round. Don’t be 18 | FALKIRK
afraid of trying darker shades – not only are they very on-trend, but they are really effective at creating a feeling of cocooning comfort. Think about the other main colours and textures in each room. For warmth underfoot use a deep pile rug or two to add extra softness, and consider swapping sheer, pale, lightweight curtains or blinds for something heavier and in a bolder shade – think wool, tweed, velvet, even felt, denim or mohair.
In the bedroom, replace pale linens with sheets or a duvet cover in a deeper shade, piling on quilts, eiderdowns, bedcovers, throws and blankets, combining colours, patterns and fabrics for a glorious, sumptuous mixture. And in the living room, pile up cushions on sofas and armchairs for a sense of cosy luxury, then add some generously sized throws over the back: great for snuggling under. You could use a length of tweed edged with velvet ribbon, chunky knitting or crochet, fake fur or soft fleece. Draw the curtains, light the fire, pull on some fluffy socks, make a mug of hot chocolate and settle down with a good book or a favourite box set – baby it may be cold outside, but inside it’s warm, cosy and welcoming. @KonectMagazines
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 19
CLUBS & CLASSES
SPORTS, HOBBIES, LEARNING, SUPPORT GROUPS & MORE... FALKIRK BUGGY WALK GROUP AT THE HELIX Buggy Walk sessions are the perfect way to get out, get some fresh air and to meet other parents and carers. Free of charge, your child must be in a buggy. This walk leaves from the front doors of Falkirk Football Stadium, Mondays 1:15pm, and lasts around an hour. DROP IN CAFÉ Based in the Joint Dementia Initiative within Dollar Park. It is open between 10:30am and 3:00pm every Friday. Open to anyone with a memory impairment and their carers. The café is an informal way for people to come together and share their knowledge and experiences in a way that is supportive. For more information, please email brian.oneill@falkirk. gov.uk or call 01324 501730.
Environmental education for all age groups and abilities. We love going outside and want you to enjoy it too! Mud, laughter, ...come along and join us on our adventure. Regular clubs and workshops, we work in local greenspaces, parks, woodlands, school and business grounds in and around Falkirk. For more information please see www.underthetrees.co.uk TO INCLUDE YOUR CLUB OR CLASS, PLEASE EMAIL DETAILS TO EDITOR@KONECT.SCOT CHARITY AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT GROUPS ARE FREE. THERE IS A SMALL CHARGE FOR OTHER LISTINGS. SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION. WWW.KONECT.SCOT
20 | FALKIRK
DAILY UNTIL EASTER Callendar House Winter Explorers The Winter Explorers trail takes visitors round some of the hidden treasures of the House and then out into the Park for some fun, familyfriendly activities. The self-guided trail leaflet is available from Callendar House reception for only £1, until Easter. Open 10am to 4pm every day except Tuesdays. Callendar House, Callendar Park, Falkirk, FK1 1YR. WED 5TH - SUN 9TH FEBRUARY Falkirk Wheel Internal Tours Be one of the few people to step beyond the barriers of The Falkirk Wheel, setting foot in areas not usually open to the public on our Internal Engineering tours. Back by popular demand, the two hour guided tours, which departs from The Falkirk Wheel Visitor Centre, take you through the conception, history and design of the structure before going inside The Wheel to learn more about the mechanics and engineering of the world’s only rotating boat lift. Information and booking via www.scottishcanals.co.uk TUESDAYS IN FEBRUARY & MARCH E-Bike Lunchtime Tour in Stirling Come along and try an e-bike for free! Join one of the Stirling Active Travel Hub team on a fun wee stree-free led ride around Stirling city centre on Tuesday lunchtimes. Ideal opportunity to try an ebike and see why the futures electric! FREE, 12pm – 2pm. Call 01786474160 or visit www.stirlingactivetravelhub.org SATURDAY 15TH FEBRUARY Build your own Bird Box For National Nest Box week why not come to RSPB Black Devon Wetlands and build the birds a lovely new home? You can build either a standard tit box or an open fronted robin box, the choice is yours! Once you have built your box, you can
decorate it however you like, take it home and put it in your garden just in time for the birds to start laying eggs. 11am – 3pm at RSPB Black Devon Wetlands NA, Alloa, FK10 1BZ. £6 per box. Call 01324 832853. SATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY The Muckle Sing 2020 Love singing? Then leap into The Muckle Sing 2020! at Queen Margaret Hall, Linlithgow. A very special day for community singing groups and individual singers, including a morning and afternoon workshops, performance platform and a short concert from our tutor, Jennifer Sterling. All welcome - from the beginner to the experienced performer and no need to be able to read music. Hosted by Traditional Music and Song Association (TMSA) of Scotland. Book via Eventrbite, search “muckle sing.” SUNDAY 1ST MARCH Wizarding Afternoon Tea Afternoon tea within the glamorous setting of Inglewood House is a theatrical occasion in itself but combined with a touch of magic it is sure to be a fantastic afternoon out for all ages. Our themed afternoon tea will offer guests warm baked scones, a daily selection of cakes and delicious finger cut sandwiches served with a selection of teas. £17.95 Adults / £9.95 Children. 1pm – 4pm, Inglewood House & Spa ,NA Tullibody Road, Alloa, FK10 2HU. Adults £17.95, Children £9.95. Call 01259 216156 or book via www.inglewoodhouseandspa.co.uk SATURDAY 14TH MARCH Kosmos Ensemble Hosted by Linlithgow Arts Guild. A dazzling programme of mixed musical themes and compositions from Western classical, Balkan and Eastern European sources. Kosmos Ensemble is redefining the relationship between classical and world music. Each member of Kosmos is an international soloist in their own right and brings individual flavour to the group. Tickets £14, U26 £6, children free if accompanied by an adult. Linlithgow Academy Theatre 7.30pm. SUNDAY 15TH MARCH Wetland Wildlife Wanders Join a Historic Environment Scotland Ranger on a walk round Linlithgow Loch whilst keeping a look out for the wildlife that calls it home. Meet at the Peel 1pm. Free, but booking essential, see www.historicenvironment.scot or call 0131 652 8150
WANT TO INCLUDE YOUR EVENT HERE? COMMUNITY AND NOT-FORPROFIT LISTINGS ARE FREE OF CHARGE.
EMAIL EDITOR@KONECT.SCOT BY 15TH OF THE MONTH FOR FOLLOWING MONTH’S ISSUE.
@KonectMagazines
SPONSORSHIP
SP
O
NS
OR A
DO
NKEY
Muiravonside Farm is looking for generous animal lovers to help us care for four rescue donkeys this year. Birch, Harley, Partland and Pierce are all rescue donkeys, and volunteers and staff on site work hard to look after them and give them a better home. They need your help to fundraise for the cost of looking after the donkeys, feeding them, keeping them healthy and safe. There are three ways you can help out…
1. SPONSOR THE DONKEYS - You can do this by buying a gift voucher on the Falkirk Community Trust website which makes a lovely present for any animal lover in your life, or just a friend who
can be a bit of a donkey themselves! Every gift voucher includes an invitation to book a ‘meet and eat’ session at the farm so the receiver can feed a carrot to the donkeys and find out more about them from our stock-keepers. Suitable for ages 4 and up.
2. DONATE TO THE DONKEY CROWD FUND - It’s hosted on the MyParkScotland web page and you can even gift aid your donation so our furry friends get some extra pennies at no cost to yourself. A donation of £6 will buy a bale of hay so we can feed the donkeys when the grass isn’t growing in winter. You can also text donate to this fund if you are out and about. mypark.scot/projects/muiravonside-donkeys To donate via text, text ‘DONKEY’ to 70450 to donate £5. This costs £5 plus a standard rate message.
3. VISIT THE DONKEYS AT MUIRAVONSIDE COUNTRY PARK - They live at Newparks Farm with lots of other rescue animals and rare Scottish breeds. If you enjoy your visit please give generously via our red donation post in the farm courtyard. The farm is free to enter and parking only costs £1 all day. Opening hours:
• 8.30am - 3.30pm daily • CAFÉ OPEN 11.00am - 3.00pm daily
@KonectMagazines
FALKIRK | 21
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
SOLUTIONS
SOLUTION TO DEC / JAN BATHROOMS & KITCHENS JOINERY Bathroom Supercentre 17 Loft Boarding Scotland 4 CROSSWORD Paragon Bathroom MDM Joinery 12 Solutions 2 MOBILITY SERVICES The Kitchen & Bedroom Ableworld 11 Studio Scotland 24 PET SITTING/BOARDING CARPET & FLOORING SALES Pet Stay 16 Carpets at Home 5 PLUMBING & HEATING CLEANING: HOUSE/OFFICE Time for You Falkirk 4 SERVICES Dewar Plumbing 16 GARAGE DOORS Gasglow 17 Garolla 17 ROOFING GARDEN FURNITURE AND G Hughes Roofing BUILDINGS ACROSS: 1. Alpaca, 4. Tribes, 9. Tornado, Services 4 10. Drake, 11. Stews, 12. Shocked, Champfleurie Estate 23 Taylor Roofs 19 13. Electricity, 18. Traffic, 20. Risky, GLAZING REPAIRS 22. Nails, 23. Elegant, 24. August, 25. Stream SPORT & LEISURE DOWN: 1. Artist, 2. Purse, 3. Classic, 5. CR Smith 13 Tenpin 7 Radio, 6. Blanket, 7. Speedy, 8. Constructed, 14. Leaving, 15. Correct, HOMES FOR SALE 16. Stanza, 17. System, 19. Fists, 21. Scare CALA Homes 15 TRAINING Road Haulage Association 6 SOLUTION TO SUDOKU HOME IMPROVEMENTS ON PAGE 16 Bathroom Supercentre 17 TUITION Kumon Linlithgow 21 Gasglow 17 Paragon Bathroom Solutions 2 Loft Boarding Scotland 4 The Kitchen & Bedroom Studio Scotland 24
Disclaimer: The publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage caused by error in the printing of an advertisement. We do not endorse any advertisers in this publication. All material is accepted for publication on the understanding it is copyright free. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS TO 7,500 READERS IN FALKIRK? For more information or to be included, please contact us. Our details are on page 3. 22 | FALKIRK
Publisher: Lothian Publications Ltd. Geddes House, Kirkton North, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6GU. Magazine Design: Universal Appeal Ltd. M: 07729 911858 W: www.universal-appeal.com E: info@universal-appeal.com
@KonectMagazines