A Linwood councillor has spoken to council officials to explore options for a Linwood Museum showing the town’s proud history, heritage and culture.
Cllr Robert Innes would like to see a museum in the Tweedie Hall or the On-X and want to investigate ways in which Linwood’s past can be highlighted around the town.
Linwood is known for its manufacturing and industrial work with industries such as the Rootes car factory and many people moved to, what was then, a small village from in and around Glasgow to take up work. If you go further back Linwood has a rich history of factories and mills on the Black Cart and if you go even further back Linwood was a forest that was believed to have been occupied by the Romans.
The Linwood representative wants to highlight some of this history and wants the community to be involved in any way that they can. He has pointed to the work that is being carried out by the Linwood War Memorial Association as an excellent example of the Linwood community being able to acknowledge their past.
Councillor Robert Innes said: “The town of Linwood has an immense amount of history, heritage and culture, from its humble beginnings as a small village to the factories and industries that called Linwood its home. Unfortunately you do not see much of this celebrated or on display around the town. I want people to be proud of being from Linwood and part of that is understanding what came before and how the town got to where it is today.
“I have held initial talks with One Ren and Renfrewshire Council about how we can explore Linwood’s past and put some effort into celebrating some of Linwood’s history. I have requested that we investigate the prospects of having some displays or information boards around Linwood and the possibility of a Linwood museum or exhibition situated in the Tweedie Hall or the On -X.
“When I visit other towns in Renfrewshire I see information, displays, statues and plaques telling me about the area and rightfully so. I see a very limited amount of this going on in Linwood and that’s what I want to change.”
Cllr Innes added: “We have fantastic community groups in Linwood doing excellent work such as the Linwood War Memorial Association who are doing an incredibly selfless act in finding a place in Linwood where people can remember their loved ones. That group stepped up and is doing a great piece of work, nobody else was going to do that for Linwood. It is efforts such as this that make it vital we do not forget the past. My hope is Linwood continues to have the opportunities to delve into its own culture and history and that the community be involved at the heart of that.”
Joan Melville from the Linwood War Memorial Association said it was wonderful to see an effort being made to restore people’s pride in Linwood.
She said: “The Linwood War Memorial Association is fully supportive of this move to bring a museum to Linwood and we are keen to share the social history rediscovered as we research each of our fallen.”