Kilsyth was in the old county of Stirlingshire, but has since been kidnapped by North Lanarkshire Council. It is a typical west of Scotland post-industrial town and as such has seen a fair amount of clearance and demolition, although its Main Street has mostly managed to remain intact. Kilsyth’s early growth came from farming and lace and its location on the roads to Edinburgh and Stirling. Weaving dominated for a while, then that faded and coal mining took over as the main employer although Kilsyth also had coffin and blackboard factories. The population peaked at 12,000 in the 1950s but has reduced since then to under 10,000. Redundant churches, empty factories and poorer housing has gone meaning there’s plenty of differences between the then and the now photos (which are in colour) but also much that is still recognisable. |