Our History

The 121st Glasgow (Clarkston) Scout Group was born on 29th September 1925

when the Rector of St Aidans Church, Rev. John Symon called a meeting of boys living

in Clarkston who would be interested in becoming Scouts (Boy Scouts as it was then).

The following week, Tuesday 6th October, 12 boys and three leaders held the group’s

first meeting in St Aidans Church Hall and was registered with the Scout Association

as the 121st Glasgow (St Aidans) Scout Group. From that early beginning, the 121st Glasgow Scout Group

has grown to be the biggest Scout Group in Scotland with 375 young members, boys,

and girls, and over 80 adult leaders and supporters.

At first, meetings were held in the church hall and then in a small Scout Hut built-in

the church grounds - cars going up Aidans Brae now drive over the original location

of the scout hut.

The next milestone came on 14th September 1927 when a Rover Crew, ages 18 to

24, was formed, followed by the Group’s first Cub Pack on 28th May 1928. As the

Scout Troop grew, and it was decided to form a Senior Scout Troop, ages 15 to 18. From

there, more Troops and Cub Packs were opened and Beaver Colonies, age 6 to 8,

were started. Satellite troops met in the tuberculosis hospitals at Philppshill, and

Mearnskirk until both TB became a thing of the past and both hospitals closed. There

are now three Beavers Colonies, three Cub Packs, two Scout Troops and our

partnered Warrior Explorer Unit providing great scouting and skills for life

experience for young people in Clarkston and surrounding areas.

By the late 1930s, the Group had outgrown the hut and for the war years, moved into

a row of derelict cottages at Clarkston Toll (where Slater Hogg now is). These were owned

by an eccentric cinema proprietor, AE Pickard, who planned to build a cinema

on the site but of course, had to abandon the plan due to wartime restrictions. So, for

most of the 1940s, the boys and leaders shared the cottages with the rats.

Obviously, the Group needed a proper hall so in the immediate post-war years, the

then Group Scout Master, Archie McGillivray (Mister Mac), made strenuous efforts,

petitioning builders and landowners for a bit of ground to build on. MacTaggart &

Mickel, who is still going strong, eventually gave a piece of land at the end of

Rowallan Lane on what was known as a peppercorn Rent. There then followed,

years of fundraising, negotiations with the Ministry of Supply for permission to buy

building materials, a lot of voluntary semi-skilled labour, with our first purpose-built

Scout Hall was opened on May 24th, 1949.

Just over 50 years later, MacTaggart & Mickel decided it was time to develop the

area around the hall and offered to build the Group a splendid new hall which is where

we are now since 2008.