History of Grangemouth
Historic Dates in History 1887 - 1929

Drill Hall opened in Talbot Street. Peter Kincaid starts business.

Fire at the Burgh Stables - the Fire Brigade horses perished.

1888
Foundation stone laid for the library, Carnegie paid £900 towards the costs of £2150.

1891
Split in the congregation of the Parish Church, 300 stayed on while 400 worshipped in the Town Hall, they increased to 699 and formed the Kerse Church.

1893
Dundas Church opens in what became the Albert Hall, their own church opened in 1894.

Feu granted to Roman Catholics to build a Chapel/School in Kerse Road. It was opened on 9th Oct 1896.

1894
Opening of The Grange School by Mr McKillop our local M.P.

1897
The building of the Soap Works.

Avonbridge Reservoir opened.

Kerse Church opens.

Trouble at Grangemouth Docks about the export of live horses to Germany to become sausages.  The trade lasted till 1905

1898
The Salvation Army set up in the town.

1900
Y.M.C.A. open in Abbots Road.

The Grangemouth Advertiser is born.

The Police station extended adding 6 more cells and a mortuary.

1901
St. Mary's Iron Kirk opens.

The Grange becomes the Grange Higher Grade School.

Sacred Heart School opens. Fr. J. Birnie becomes the first resident Parish Priest.

Grandsable bought from Callander Estate. Barnstable, from the French - La Grande Sabel - The good sand, sand was quarried from there by French Prisoners of War in 1815.

3 Hotels, 7 pubs and 4 dram shops serve a population of 7968.

1902
Fire Brigade get steam-driven fire pumps, the first town in Scotland to have them, the engine was still pulled by horses.

"S.S.Clanmire" of the Rankine Line started a new run to Rotterdam - just under 4 days return, loading and discharging in each port.

Carron Boats to London, 1st Class Cabin 34/- return.   2nd Class Cabin 24/- return. Soldiers & Sailors on deck 10/- return.   Departures ex Grangemouth Mon. Wed. and Saturday. Departures ex London Tues. Thurs. and Sunday.

1903
The new Grange Church opens in Park Street.

The Infant School opens.

1905
Opening of the 48 hours Laundry in Dalgrain Road.

New Gas Street Lighting introduced.

Dockyard company builds a 150 ft mast for Wireless Telegraphy in Port Patrick for transmission to Ireland.

1906
Ex M.P. Mr McKillop in sleaze trial, one of his employees set up his own Bank and misappropriated £4,000, Mr McKillop a man of honour settled the debt in private.

The Anglo/American Oil Company erected 1,000 gallon Oil Storage Tanks for petrol and paraffin in the Docks, a first for Scotland.

"R.M.S. Scotland" of Salveson's opens the Caledonian Railways new Grange Dock.

The fourth ship "San Loandra" for Spanish owners launched in the Dockyard, a special Blessing Service, the first ever, was performed by Fr. Burnie accompanied by his choir boys.

Grangemouth and Bothkennar School Board on a motion of Rev P. Burnie institute Children's Festival Day and 2,000 children gather at Kerse House for the May Day.

Grangemouth Pipe Bank win Bathgate Championship and the award for the smartest and best-turned band.

1907
Ross Creosote and Fuel Oil storage depot open in Docks.

1909
The High School opens

Nancy Baxter First May Queen crowned on Children's Day.

The start of the Pit-prop trade. Abercrombie, Brisbane and Brown, followed by Gibb and Austine.

B.P. Oil opens Oil Storage Depot for the Navy. This wasn't "our B.P.", but a Company registered in Germany.

1910
The Old Parish Church moves to Ronaldshay Crescent.

1911
The closure of Grangemouth Pits and the Brick Works.

Kerr the Grocers start up.

New Gaslight Regulators introduced to street lights.

The North Third Pipe Line from Bannockburn augments our water supply.

1913
The new (present day) Zetland school built.

1914
The Great War - The Admiralty takes over the docks.

B.P. scows keep the oil flowing for the Navy bringing it through the canal from Bowling.

1916
The Royal Navy Mining Depot takes over the docks. Carron Boat "S.S. Avon" from Grangemouth is sunk.

A Zeppelin bombing Edinburgh seen from Grangemouth.

1918
Gunner J. Lawless from Middle Street foils a U.Boat.

1st November, the opening of the Oil Pipeline built and financed by the U.S.A. government.

9.00am, Nov. 11 Grangemouth gets the news first of the end of the war.  The East of Scotland Naval Headquarters H.M.S. Rameses was in Janeville, Dr. Spenser's Surgery, and Rear-Admiral S.Clinton Baker got the wireless message from Marshall Foch at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He told Provost Jackson of the Boatyard and work stopped immediately. The Soap Works blew it's horn and the whole town made for Charing Cross.  Church bells were rung at 10.40 and ended at 11am, the War was over.

The Y.M. was the Other-Ranks Rameses Billet.

1655 Grangemouth people saw Active Service, 281 made the supreme sacrifice including one woman, Annie Campbell Reid a nurse who was buried in the War Memorial Cemetery in Cairo Egypt.

1919
James Morton and Scottish Dyes come to Grangemouth.

1920
The Great Dyeworks Robbery, Rice Reid and Scotch Jimmy steal dynamite from Laurieston Pit, break into the Dyes, blow the safe and get away with the payroll, they were caught on a Berwickshire farm.  They were in and out of prison many times and during one stay Jimmy taught Johnny Ramensky how to use explosives.

1921
Manufacture of Dyestuffs takes off; the Dyes built their own Gas Works and employed their own Fire Brigade.

1923
W. Falconer of Grangemouth breaks the world record in Weight-lifting - a one hand clean and jerk lift of 114 lbs.

Another first for the Y.M. they demonstrate wireless listening, a crystal-set and ear-phones.

1924
Scottish Oils come to Grangemouth.

Opening of first Deep Water Oil Jetty.

1926
The burn rose 5.5 ft in 1 hour, Jackson Avenue flooded 3 ft of water.

General Strike 3rd - 12th May.

Salveson's "DUVA" sank in the North Sea.

Scarlet Fever epidemic started on Dec. 25.

1927
Jan 31 schools reopen after scarlet fever epidemic.

Grangemouth and Forth Towing Company buy the "Isle of Skye" and re-name it "Fair Maid".

Sacred Heart Church opened in Drummond Place.

Floods - Abbots Road, Kerse Road and Jackson Ave.

Pipe Bank win open championship for juveniles at Dunoon.

1928
Dundas School reopened after a year's reconstruction.

High School Choir win Pullar Trophy at the County music festival and the Challenge Trophy at Glasgow; the Philomel Choir won the Gallie Trophy at the same Glasgow contest.

Boys Pipe Band win cup and £7 at Alloa.

Muirhead's Pipe Bank founded.

1929
Death of Marquis of Zetland, he left estate valued £874,143.

Council welcome the new Marquis and he opened the Kerse Church Garden Fete at Kerse House.

Explosion aboard tanker British Chemist draws great crowds to visit "devastated" town.

We'd like to thank Grangemouth Heritage Trust for supplying the above information.