The Past

Twechar is a village that can trace its roots all the way back to Roman times and beyond. It is home to an Iron Age fort situated on Barr Hill, which indicates that people have lived in Twechar for as long as 2,000 years, and it was also home to the Roman legionnaires who were once charged with protecting the Antonine Wall that runs along Barr Hill.

The development of Twechar as we know it today was mainly influenced by the coal mining industry. The village’s first collieries were opened in 1860 by William Baird & Co when pits were sunk in Twechar and Gartshore. A close-knit mining community soon emerged and several hundred houses were built in the area between 1925 and 1974 to accommodate the growing mining population.

The town’s association with the coal mining industry lasted for just over a century. The closure in January 1963 of the Forth and Clyde canal was soon followed by the closure in 1964 of Twechar No.1 Pit, on the north bank of the canal to the east of Twechar Bridge, while Gartshore 9/11, the very last colliery in the area, was shut down in 1968.

In many ways, the reopening of the canal in May 2001 heralded a new beginning for Twechar and with plans to regenerate the village now gathering pace, the local community can look forward to a bright future.