RootsChat.Com

Hi Anderson,

I came across a photo of Denny Town/Public Hall at Falkirk Library. I have photocopied it (the copy is pretty much as good as the original) and scanned it into the computer. If you like I will sent you a copy.

Denny and Dunipace views from the past by Margaret Ferguson
ISBN 0-906586-47-X

DENNY TOWN HALL

Not many people know that the first public demonstration of television in
Scotland took place in Denny Town Hall in February, 1934, thus putting
Denny 'right on the map and first in the field", according to Mr P.
Samwell of the Radio Gramophone Depot. Entertainments of various kinds
were provided in the hall, which was destroyed by fire in May 1937. The
Cinema de Luxe was later built on the site.

Regards,

Nigel

OOPs -- just read the obituary again -- "Mrs Anderson and a grown up family survive"
Disagreement with the Cencus there -- it showed him as a widower with a very young family and a very old house maid (and a new young house maid).
If it was the same David Anderson,
this would only be possible if David Anderson married again -- if he could afford to build a Town Hall, he was probably quite a catch.

You have probably gathered that I get distracted easily -- better get back to my own work.

Regards,
Nigel

I was going to send you a photo of Denny Cross in the early 1900's
But I could not find a way to do it.
I just became a member today.
I was gonna make a Roots Website but they want a lotta personal information.

I checked the link in a previous post
http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/cinemas/scotland/denny.html
The colour picture is The Cinema Deluxe. It is located about 100 metres south of Denny Cross. Denny Parish Church stands at Denny Cross and can be seen at the right of the photo.
Denny sits on the Stirling to Glasgow Road -- north of the cross is Stirling Street -- south of the cross is Glasgow Road.
I consulted my father -- he was born around 1925.
On the site now occupied by the Cinema Deluxe, There used to be a Town Hall. My father refers to it as Town Hall rather than Public Hall. This was used for various entertainment acts and probably had a flat floor (unlike cinemas) . Underneath the Town Hall were stables.
Around 1936, the Town Hall was burned to the ground. The deluxe cinema was then built on the site.
It must have been around 1970 when the cinema closed and reopened as a Bingo Hall.  It was still standing the last time I passed (about a year ago)
The Black and white photo is of an old cinema in Stirling Street -- about 250 metres north of Denny Cross. I can't remember the name of it though "The Picture House" is probably correct -- we just called it "The Flee Pit". It was operational in the early 1960's but is now demolished. All the shops on the west side of Stirling Street were demolished in a major revamp about the mid 1960's -- it may have been around then that The Picture House was demolished -- not certain exactly when.
To the right of the Picture house you can just make out a small structure -- this was a small wooden weatherboard building (about the size of a garage) and was a shop owned by a huge lady who had to sit down most of the time -- she used a long stick with a grab that reached almost all the shelves.
About 70 metres to the right (east) of the Picture House is the local Catholic Church (the Chapel) and it is still operational.
Behind the Picture House used to be the local football pitch for Dunipace Juniors -- this is now a housing estate.
Drymen is just east of Loch Lomond and about 25 miles (as the crow flys) from Denny -- given the roads and transport of the time, that's a fair distance.
Callendar House in Falkirk is about 6 miles from Denny. This used to be a large wealthy family estate but is now run by the council as a tourist attraction. The library there is of special interest. As local people die, they often donate photos and information to the library -- the material is always increasing and is possibly now one of the best sources for local historic information.
Email: callendar.house@falkirk.gov.uk
David Anderson is probably buried at Denny Cemetery -- about a mile outside Denny on the Denny to Falkirk Road -- operated by Falkirk District Council. This Cemetery has no new plots. Over the last ten or twenty years, new plots have  been created at the nearby new cemetery, "Hills of Dunipace". So there are effectively two cemeteries for Denny and Dunipace.
My father does not recall any "Edgar & Strang, merchants, Stirling St" -- must have been before his time.
I hope I did not bore you.