History of Larbert & Stenhousemuir

The origin of the twin villages of Larbert and Stenhousemuir lies somewhere in those dark ages when the nation of Scotland was beginning to emerge from the amalgam of Pict and Scot, Angle and Briton. We know that the crossing point of the Carron River was important to the Romans and that the road they constructed from Watling Lodge on the Antonine Wall at Camelon crossed the river by a bridge located somewhere near the present Larbert Old Parish Church. Traces of this road were still identifiable in the Torwood area as late as the 18th century. Torwood houses an even earlier archaelogical treasure, the remains of an iron age stone broch, a rare and fascinating constuction from around 500BC. Not far away is the ruined Torwood Castle dating from the mid 16th century, the home of the powerful Forester family, keepers of royal forest.

 

One historic building which did not survive is Stenhouse, the early 17th century home of the Bruce family which was a splendid Scottish baronial building. It survived until the 1960s before being demolished. It stood to the north of Carron works in the vacinity of the present Lodge Drive, just yards from the site of the Roman monument, Arthur's O'on, demolished by Bruce of Stenhouse in 1743. The Bruce family also owned Kinnaird House and the present building is the third to stand on the same site. Two Bruces of Kinnaird, Robert the Minister of St Giles in the late 16th century and James, the famous 'Abyssinian traveller' in the 18th were figures of national importance.

 

It was during James Bruce's time that the greatest change in Larbert's status came about. The arrival of Carron ironworks in 1759 had an enormous impact on Larbert parish. Stenhousemuir began to grow in size and importance and workers flocked to the village and to the neighbouring settlement of Quarrol, later Carronshore. Not long after, the transfer of the great Falkirk Trysts to Stenhousemuir in 1785 further increased the economic well being of the area and the arrival of the Caledonian railway in the 1840s provided the impetus for a wide range of new industries which appeared as the century progressed. 

 

Dobbie, Forbes and Company opened their doors in 1872 and three years later James Jones opened a sawmill on a site next door to the new foundry. Other celebrated enterprises followed like McCowans toffee works and Taylor's Muirhall Foundry.

 

Another development which in its own particular way put Larbert on the national map was the Scottish National Institution for Children established at a cost of £13,000 in the 1860s on more land bought from the Stenhouse estate. At around the same time on a nearby site the Stirling District Lunatic Asylum opened its doors and for more than a century the two provided care through changing times for those unfortunate enough to suffer from mental handicap or illness. The modern world continues to search for the best way to offer this care and in recent years a 'care in the community' initiative has brought about a massive reduction in the number of patients in both hospitals. Buildings are being demolished or sold and a modern industrial 'park' has appeared on the Bellsdyke Road. Soon the new Forth Valley Hospital will occupy the land to the west of the Stirling Road. 
 
Back in Victorian Larbert new wealth brought fine new church buildings and the captains of industry like Dobbie and Jones built superb villas in the village which were distinguished by an array of fine mansions and estates.  Many of them have survived to serve the community in different capacities and Kinnaird, rebuilt for the third time in the 1890s, Torwoodhall, Beechmount, Carronvale and Carrongrange among others remain as a small reminder to today's villagers of the splendour of their local heritage as well as the sweat and struggle of the working men whose hard labour paid for most of the grandeur.

Content provided by Ian Scott ©