Pre-restoration 
Drying out June 2018 
Post restoration Sept 2018
In Autumn 2017, Balfron Community Council initiated a project to conserve and restore the War Memorial at the Clachan. Although the memorial had been weeded and cleaned, much of the pointing was loose and water ingress had started to cause more serious damage.
Graciela Ainsworth, a conservation specialist based in Edinburgh, was invited to assess the memorial. She concluded a significant amount of work was required to stabilise the cairn, repair the dressed stone and conserve the plaques in line with the War Memorials Trust standards.
It was estimated that £14,000 was required to complete the work.
In May 2018, fundraising got underway.
- Balfron village raised a total of £5,478.43 through donations and crowd funding.
- The War Memorials Trust provided a grant of £7,983
- Stirling Council, the Paul Charitable Trust and the local Strathendrick Rotary Club donated a further £2,250.
Work on the cairn stabilisation started in June 2018. Local stonemason Callum Gray and his team from Gray Stonework replaced all the pointing using traditional techniques and materials. Their work was carried out during some of the hottest weeks of the year, resulting in a number of challenges around how to avoid the mortar drying out too quickly.
Worked continued through July and August 2018, when Graciela Ainsworth and her team returned to repair the cracks in the dressed stone and restore the plaques.
The memorial was rededicated on 11th November 2018, 100 years after the end of the First World War.
Now that the initial work has completed, Balfron Community Council are considering further improvements for the area around the memorial. If you would like to help, please contact us >>
