(defunct 1854-1861, 1862-1870, 1891-1896)

 

Information from British Newspaper Archive

Kirkintilloch and Campsie Horticultural Society’s first record in newspapers is a report of their second meeting of the season on 6 August 1842 at the Black Bull Inn, Kirkintilloch where their exhibits were well received.  (13 August 1842 Glasgow Saturday Post)

This society continued to meet to present their exhibits about 3 times per season.  On Saturday 8 June 1844 the venue was the Schoolroom, Milton of Campsie as reported on 14 June in the Glasgow Chronicle.  In 1845, they exhibited at the Black Bull Inn, Kirkintilloch. In 1846, the Glasgow Saturday Evening Post reported that the meeting was held in Mr Walker’s Hall on 1st August.

The last record of the society being Kirkintilloch and Campsie Horticultural Society was the 1848 show reported in the Glasgow Herald at the Black Bull Inn, Kirkintilloch.  Thereafter, it is the Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society.

From Saturday 8 September 1849, the exhibits are shown at the Crown Inn, Kirkintilloch and from 1851 the society name is changed to Kirkintilloch Amateur Horticultural Society.  

In 1851 the Campsie Amateur Horticultural Society was inaugurated and the first report of their exhibitions is in 1853.  They continued to hold annual exhibitions.

In 1853 Kirkintilloch Amateur Horticultural Society meetings were held in their Canvas Pavilion on the Crofthead.  Their third, and last of the season, in September was very well received.  From then until 1862, there are no newspaper reports of the meetings or shows. There are reports from Chryston, Milngavie, Glasgow & West of Scotland Horticultural Societies at which exhibits from growers in Kirkintilloch won prizes.  It’s possible shows took place in Kirkintilloch but were not reported.

But in June 1862, there is a report that the first meeting of the season was held in Kerr Street Schoolroom, Kirkintilloch.    The next two meetings were planned for 2 and 30 August 1862.  After the final show the judges and a few friends dined at the Black Bull Inn.

There are no further reports of a horticultural society in Kirkintilloch while the Campsie society continued to hold their exhibitions.  Mr William Couper of Kirkintilloch was generally one of the judges.  So, it appears that the Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society was defunct from 1862 until 1871 and during that period, local amateur horticulturalists exhibited with the Campsie Amateur Horticultural Society.

In March 1871 the Falkirk Herald reported that public meetings had been held in Kirkintilloch with a view to forming a horticultural society.  So, in September 1871, a resuscitated Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society held their first show in the Kerr Street Schoolroom.  There were few exhibits but the quality was good. (7 September 1871 Falkirk Herald).  Shows continued to be held in the Kerr Street Schoolroom but moved to the Temperance Hall in 1875.  From 1877 until 1883 the society was referred to as the Kirkintilloch and District Horticultural Society.

In 1883 at the annual business meeting in the Volunteer Hall, the committee took the decision to stop a band playing instrumental music during the annual show.  At this same meeting, the name of the society was referred to as Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society again.  It seems the decision not to have a band was not popular and by 1885 the band was reinstated.

In 1885, letters in the Kirkintilloch Herald suggested some animosity between Kirkintilloch and Lenzie regarding ownership of a Horticultural Society.  It seemed to culminate in a new committee for Kirkintilloch who had rejuvenated proceedings and the whole organisation had a new lease of life.  There was a proposal to hold two exhibitions in 1886, one in Lenzie and one in Kirkintilloch while ‘animation was imparted to the proceedings’ by a quadrille band. at the September show (9 September 1885 Dumbarton Herald and Lennox Herald).  Avid scanning of any reports for 1886 shows that this idea of two exhibitions probably didn’t work.  The show in September 1886 was reported to be the only one in the area for the whole season and the Kirkintilloch Herald begged the public to visit as the door money kept the society going.  However in 1889 a show was held in Lenzie Academy Hall and announced as Kirkintilloch and Lenzie Horticultural Society - it was back in the Temperance Hall in Kirkintilloch in 1890.

By 1892, Lenzie was able to use the new Public Hall for exhibitions so the joint arrangement was dropped.  However, there were no flower shows in Kirkintilloch from 1891 onwards - the next reference is in 1895 to there being no horticultural society in Kirkintilloch which was a sad loss.

A letter in the Kirkintilloch Herald of 9 September 1896 referred to a proposal to resuscitate the Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society but suggested that if ‘those that brought it to wreck’ were involved, they wouldn’t find any support.  That suggests something untoward happened but no further information is available.  A meeting was held shortly after the publication of that letter at which it was agreed to re-form the defunct Horticultural Society with a view to holding a show in 1897.  It was proposed to include classes for sewing, knitting and bakery.  This seems to be the root of the idea of calling it an Horticultural and Industrial exhibition.

The Kirkintilloch Herald advertised that the revived Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society annual show would take place on 27 August 1897 in the Temperance Hall.  There would be a musical accompaniment during the afternoon and musical entertainment from 7pm until 8.30pm

This format continued until 1913 when Lenzie Horticultural Society approached the Kirkintilloch committee with a proposal to combine the two societies.  This did not happen and when the first World War broke out, the Lenzie society became temporarily defunct.  The Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society carried on through the war years but did not hold any exhibitions.

The first show after the war, in 1919, reflected a wider interest and was described as a Plotholders’ show, having invited the Horticultural and Industrial society to join in.  Interestingly, the committee reinstated having a band to entertain visitors.

Times seem to be have been hard in the early 1920s as generally there was only prize money if there were funds left over at the end of the day.  Maybe there was a lack of interest as only three members of the Horticultural Society turned up at a meeting in 1921 to debate amalgamation with the Plotholders’ Association.  By 1922, the Plotholders’ Association was being referred to as being the substitute Horticultural Society and the Kirkintilloch Herald was reporting their Exhibitions instead.  Attempts to amalgamate with a proposed resuscitated Lenzie Horticultural Society in 1923 met with dispiriting disinterest on both sides.

In 1925 marked efforts were made to return to the ‘old standards’ with 122 classes listed in the Schedule for the Flower Show.   And by 1929, the Plotholders’ Association came to be known as the Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society.  

The show in September 1930 was considered the best ‘since resuscitation’ (but since it’s unclear when that was, it’s hard to know what it was being compared with).  From this point on, the society seems to be organised on lines familiar to us today - a summer outing had become a standard part of the season and there were monthly lectures at various venues like the MIners’ Welfare Institute, the Temperance Hall or the Town Hall.  

The Society restarted after World War II in about 1948 and met in various locations again.  The Cooperative Hall in Broadcroft was also used for meetings as well as the annual show.  There seemed to be some financial difficulty in the late 1960s and early 1970s as the Kirkintilloch Herald was pleased to report in 1971 that, after a successful Annual Show, the Society was ‘back in the black’.

There is little reporting on the Society between the years 1975 (when the Annual Show was cancelled) and late 1986, although grants from Strathkelvin Council were received in early 1986.  Current members have no recollection of a Horticultural Society or Flower Club in existence then.  From 1986 onwards however, there are monthly reports of meetings with speakers, held at a variety of venues including Woodhead Community Centre, Findlay Clark Garden Centre.  There was some disapproving comment in the paper about holding the Annual Show on the same day as Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.  That divided opinion.  

St Ninian’s Church Hall was the venue for the Annual Flower Show up until the early 2000s when it transferred to St Mary’s Church Hall.  Meetings found a regular home in Enterprise House.  And so it continued … until the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Society kept going through those turbulent times by keeping in touch with members and holding virtual shows.  

In a very different world post-pandemic, Kirkintilloch Horticultural Society has a website and a Facebook presence.  Meetings, outings and the Annual Show all continue.