There was a time when Bridge of Allan had 3 banks, a post office and a pharmacy that had run continuously on Henderson street since 1851. But as Dylan Thomas remarked, in Under Milk Wood: time passes.

Here are some of the changes our village has seen in recent times:

Banks:

Bridge of Allan Post Office:

Stamped out, January 2023:

September 2024, Strathallan Pharmacy on Henderson Street closed its doors:

October 2024, Strathallan Pharmacy relocated from Henderson Street into the old Post Office on Fountain Road:

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A short film about Strathallan Pharmacy by Dr Peter Scott-Gordon:

Local time passed into history:

To play this short film please click here.

The opening text to this film:

At the end of September 2024, Strathallan Pharmacy, Bridge of Allan, will move out of its existing premises and relocate to the old Post Office. Gilbert Farie first set up a Pharmacy on Henderson Street in 1851 but the current premises are no longer large enough to meet today’s need.

Remarkably, the 19c pharmacy shop fittings have all survived. It is wonderful to imagine the everyday conversations that have taken place in this pharmacy for well over a century

Much has been written about Gilbert Farie, in no short measure thanks to Robert Louis Stevenson who as a child picked up his cough medicine from his pharmacy. I have always been fascinated by the stories around Gilbert Farie. However, Hilary Mantel said “as soon as we die we enter into fiction. Once we can no longer speak for ourselves we are interpreted”.  As I have grown older I find myself looking back on some of my creative work which has included Gilbert Farie as a dark metaphor. I am aware that other artists have also done so. I have lived long enough to realise that the stories about Gilbert may have grown over the years and we should remember that stories are not the same as truth. For this reason I would like to dedicate this film in honour of the unrecognised qualities of Gilbert Farie and his life.