MacRosty Park Crieff

JAMES MACROSTY

James Macrosty  was born in Crieff in 1824 , the son of a  weaving  agent Alexander MacRosty in the Bridgend area of Crieff . In the early 19th century hand loom  cotton  weaving was the largest employer of people in the town and Alexander MacRosty was one of a handful of men  who bought and sold  the cotton webs to the weavers . James  grew up at the local school where he did  well and  on leaving entered the  legal firm of Gowans in the town  . He  became a Bank Agent  for the British Linen Bank at  time prior  to Banks  having resident managers .. He  became involved in the politics of the town and was  elected chief magistrate . He married Lilias Brough Kay  from Edinburgh and had a large  family by her . Tragedy struck when a number of his  children pre deceased him . James MacRosty  died  in 1906 . He gave to the town ground on the Comrie Road  which he had laid  out as a park . 

In 1906 his brother Alexander  donated the bandstand  which still stands in the Park . It is in fact a listed  building and has been painstakingly renovated  during the overall refurbishment , back to its  original state but  enhanced  with the  addition  of electricity to facilitate performances  slightly  different to those of the brass bands of yesteryear ! 

In 1908 his daughter  Lilias donated the  art decor  tea room ( see below ) which stood on an elevated position  until its  condition deteriorated  so much that it had  to be demolished in 1971 . There  now  stands in its  place an attractive pergola ( see below ) .

The Park benefited from further additions  when 1922 former  Provost Walter Mungall donated  the ground on the other  side of the Turret Burn which was duly named Mungall Park . In 1925 , the Town Council added  ground on the Crieff side  of the original donation  and  erected  tennis courts and a pavilion thereon . In 1938  ex Councillor Taylor gifted  the field adjoining the Milnab Mill and this has  become Tay;or Park . The Fifth and last acquisition was the woodland  stretch joining Mungall Park  with MacRosty Park near the Turret Weir . The access to this  is now   is  by means of a  wooden Bridge constructed in the 1990s by Territorial Army engineers. This  was  known originally as Morgan's Wood  after the  saw mill of that name  which  was on the  site  of the  modern chalet  development off Turretbank Road .

Morgan's Wood

The Lade and adjoining pathways  in a somewhat less manicured form than at 

present !

Milnab Mill and the field that is now Taylor Park

The Recreation or Play Area 

TheTurret Burn

Spring In The Park

The Bandstand

Dogs Trees and Things 

If you would like to see and read  more about our wonderful MacRosty Park have a look at the web site  of The Friends of MacRosty Park  : https://sites.google.com/site/macrostypark/