The Blue Bell Inn, Camelon

My ancestors, Alexander Cowie and Mary Baird, were the first publicans of the Blue Bell Inn in the 1840s. This is the story of the inn, from their time there until its demolition, well over a century later, as part of the redevelopment of Camelon Main Street in the 1960s.

A version of this tale was published in Calatria, the journal of the Falkirk Local History Society, vol. 38 (2024).

Camelon showing Blue Bell Inn at 1 Main Street. Map is Ordnance Survey 1: 1,250,  A ed. 1944-1973, NS8780SE – A, Surveyed: 1950, Published: 1951. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.