Raising awareness of the history of our communities.
Graeme recently visited Barry Mill in Carnoustie and the Star Rock Shop in Kirriemuir to highlight Local and Community History Month.
May is Local and Community History Month. The aim of the month is to increase awareness of local history, promote history in general to the local community and encourage all members of the community to participate. Organised by the Historical Association, activities occur across the country every May to raise awareness of a strong community and to highlight local history.
I was very pleased to visit two fantastic historical landmarks for Local and Community History Month. Not many people are aware of the specific history and heritage of our local community. This month allows everyone to put their stories on a pedestal and celebrate their rich past.
GRAEME
Barry Mill has recently undergone restorations and I was glad to see the iconic mill is such lovely shape. It was also warming to hear Liz’s passion for the sweet shop that has been at the heart of the community for many years.
Barry Mill was once the beating heart of a rural community – supplying food, providing a place for trade and gossip, and witnessing the transition from a rural to an industrial society. The water-powered mill produced oatmeal and other foods, as well as providing work for local people, for almost 800 years – right up until 1982. Barry Mill is now one of only a handful of mills powered by water. Rebuilt after a fire around 1814, it is probably the largest and finest example of its type still in operation.
The Star Rock Shop was established in 1833 by David Ferguson. It still trades today from the same premises in the Roods, Kirriemuir, making it the oldest producing and continuously trading sweet shop in Scotland. It has been owned by Liz Crossley-Davies since 2018. All Star rock recipes are passed on with each new owner, and Liz makes them today in the kitchen at the back of the shop as they have always been done.
Graeme visited the two Angus organisations, where he spoke with Michael Metcalfe (Barry Mill) and Liz Crossley-Davies (Star Rock Shop) about the importance of local history.
When I took over I knew then it was important to record as much of the history of The Star Rock Shop as possible. Celebrating 190 years in 2023, the shop has been a part of the Kirriemuir community longer than any living memory and therefore my responsibility is to gather as much information as I can to pass it forward for the proprietors of the future before it can be lost.
LIZ CROSSLEY-DAVIES, STAR ROCK SHOP OWNER
