Balfron
Balfron () 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. 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 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 village 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 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) 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. Transport. Balfron railway station, on the line between Kirkintilloch and Aberfoyle, was opened to serve the village in 1856. It closed in 1951. The main road in Balfron is the A875. Local bus services are provided by First 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.