History of Galabank
The exact age of Galabank, of which No 9 is part is uncertain . The earliest date recorded is when Rabbie Burns - the famous Scottish Poet wrote “The Braw Lads o’ Gala Water” in the Inn (no 10). This puts the date into the 1780/90s. He inscribed the first verse on a window pane in the upstairs room - the “best” room. |
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| Galabank was a droving Inn - it sits beside an old drove route and predates the current road. The drove route is now part of the core path network. There is a very intriguing reference to Galabank Inn where a breakaway Church group used to hold their services on a Sunday in the Inn in the 1840’s.
With the new road and the Railway, droving died out and the Inn with it- ceasing to be an Inn in the 1860’s and becoming a small group of dwelling houses. |
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Galabank around 1907 |
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Another reference is in 1924 when the good people of Galabank used to “take in” holiday makers. It was so popular that people slept in shifts! and dancing in the street is also recorded.
By the 1940’s the cottages had become “starter homes” for young families - some of the older villagers now in Stow being born here. |
Galabank showing No 9 in the 1940s |
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A traditional wedding at Galabank in the 1990s
Later in the 1960’s the cottages were all holiday homes. Now most of them are lived in again permanently.
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