New book puts bygone Galashiels on the map
Ally McGilvray • Published 8 Nov 2011 09:30
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"THE history of Galashiels as a burgh begins in the late sixteenth century, but the present appearance of both the town and its surrounding countryside is the result of the interaction of man with his environment over many centuries."
The evolution of the Borders town is outlined in a new book - Historic Galashiels: Archaeology and Development - based on above and below ground archaeology.
It charts the events that shaped Galashiels from the formation of a valley by the movement of ice sheets through to the social, economic and architectural impact of its becoming the Scottish centre for tweed manufacture.
Authors Martin Rorke, Dennis Gallagher, Charles McKean, Patricia Dennison and Gordon Ewart have brought together the perspectives of historians and archaeologists to offer a new look at the town.
They recount archaeological evidence for settlements dating back to the Neolithic period, and building work in Gala Park in 1878-79 which uncovered evidence of Bronze Age burials.
The book also reveals Iron age hillforts and Roman roads predate the urban settlement that grew from the 14th century. It notes that much of the building stone used in Galashiels is greywacke and is an essential part of the character of the town.
However, in 1849, it adds, the arrival of the railway offered alternative building materials - brick or sandstone - and coal for steam power that injected new energy into the wool trade and so intensified urban development.
The book highlights how the woollen industry affected everything from the town's water channels and housing to society in general.
It catalogues the mills that contributed enormously to the town's prosperity, explains what can be learned from their industrial archaeology and recounts the architectural character - as defined by churches, schools, houses and shops- of different parts of the town.
The book also recalls the weavers corporation formed in 1666 to champion better regulation of the trade and four-year apprenticeships.
Today Gala has less reliance on the woollen industry and has seen a diversification in employment, and retail uses at many mill sites, but Heriot Watt University's School of Textiles and Design ensures that innovation in textiles continues in Galashiels.
The Scottish Burgh Survey series looks at modern towns and cities and charts how development has progressed to aid planners in considering new development projects.
By identifying areas that may hold an archaeological resource the survey allows developers and council archaeologists to better plan how to record and learn from these sites.
Co-ordinating author Pat Dennison of Edinburgh University said: "I have so enjoyed being the historian for something like 30 Burgh Surveys. Not only have I learned a great deal about Scottish urban history, but I have met so many local enthusiasts for their towns, many of whom have become firm friends.
"Every town is distinctive. What I found interesting about Galashiels is how it changed following the arrival of the textile industry. There is so much to be proud of here."
But she added: "This is not a history book and it's not an archaeology book; what we're trying to say is what is here which is of importance which should be preserved."
The name Galashiels is a mix of two parts: Gala may originate in the Cumbric 'gal gwy' meaning clear stream; 'shiel', derived from a Scandinavian language, means shelter.
Co-editor Mark Watson, of Historic Scotland, said: "From the ancient origins of the Gala dam, a contour lade that flows today over wheelpits where mills are long gone, to hand loom shops that can still be identified in the town centre, the wool industry is woven into the urban fabric as it is in few other towns.
"A good understanding of past urban development gives better confidence in combining the new with the old, and this book helps, we hope, to share that understanding."
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the nation's historic environment.
Mark Douglas, Principal Officer (Built Heritage & Biodiversity), Scottish Borders Council, said: "I am delighted that Historic Scotland has been able to continue with their long-established 'Burgh Surveys' in the Scottish Borders with the launch of the new 'Historic Galashiels' publication.
"Galashiels has experienced much change in the last ten years and this publication helps us to understand the development of the town from its earliest origins as shielings (temporary farm buildings used in summer) by the Gala Water into a powerful industrial centre for the wool trade and more recently as a regional centre which will soon once again be served by the Waverley Line."
And he added: "It was particularly appropriate for the Council to host the formal launch of 'Historic Galashiels' in Old Gala House, a building that has stood through five centuries of the burgh's development."
Local historical association, the Old Gala Club, helped the book's authors with their research. And now it hopes other townsfolk will come forward with their own memories of Galashiels.
Norman Houldsworth, the Old Gala Club's treasurer, said: "We have got more than 25,000 photographs and slides now and we have over 3000 artefacts catalogued. But we depend on the community helping us to preserve the past.
"What we hope is this book will stir memories in the community and they will feed more information to us and provide us with more facts and photographs that we haven't got."
Nestled into a narrow valley, part in Roxburghshire and part in Selkirkshire, Galashiels owes its development to the Gala Water which provided an ideal source of power for the mills of the woollen industry, while the farms in the surrounding hills initially provided the wool.
This survey looks at the history and archaeology of Galashiels and aims to pose questions for further investigation.
Medieval settlement in the valley focused around two or three fortified tower houses in what became known as the Old Town. The first mills were established in the late sixteenth century and the creation of the town as a burgh of baraony in 1599 opened the way to prosperity through regular markets.
At the same time, the construction of the Galashiels Dam, a lade which followed the contours of the valley, created a guaranteed flow of water for numerous mills which had sprung up. The rapid growth in the population of Scotland from the late eighteenth century created a demand for the town's woollen products.
The surviving buildings reflect the town's development, from post-medieval tower houses to the grand villas and workers' housing of the nineteenth century. The book concludes with a gazetteer of all the town's mills.
The town has received little archaeological investigation to date, so the authors consider areas of particular archaeological potential to influence future management of Gala's built and natural landscape.
This book is part of the Scottish Burgh Survey - a series funded by Historic Scotland designed to identify the archaeological potential of Scotland's historic towns.
The Border Telegraph invited local Councillor Sandy Aitchison to give us his thoughts on the new book.
He said: "Historic Galashiels is a great book because it brings us up to date with where we are now and where we could be. And, interestingly, it reveals the whole history - it doesn't just concentrate on the mills. It talks about the shops and all that sort of stuff as well.
"When I was a boy in the '60s here in Galashiels the dark Satanic mills was a reality. But the joy of that time was full employment and the town was a vibrant place.
"People had money to spend, although the wages were not huge. And, at one time, you could dress yourself from head to toe with what was made in the Borders and be proud of it, but now that's no longer the case.
"Even the skin works had an affect on Gala - including the terrible smell that used to permeate throughout the town.
"When I was a boy going up to Stow in the school bus there was more Salmon in the racks than there was school bags because, when the Salmon were running, the kids from the old Roxburgh Street School used to end up poaching them from the skin works cauld and would take them home with them.
"I have many happy memories of the industrial days of Gala but it's not just an industrial place. We've always enjoyed a good education system in that we've always had good schools.
"Although we were late coming up with things like sanitary arrangements, we've always managed to be a forward-thinking town in many respects and now we are a university town it's something that Gala can take forward to the future with a bit of confidence.
"I'm a great believer in history and the Borders is a fantastically interesting place in terms of history and every community has its own tale to tell.
"The book itself is a wonderful publication and some of the photographs are great." But he added: "We need to learn from our past if we are to progress."
Historic Galashiels: Archaeology and Development, is available to buy, priced £9.50, direct from the publishers, CBA Publications, via their website - http://www.britarch.ac.uk/books/galashiels2011
This article appeared in Border Telegraph 08 Nov 11
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