In the beginning

Back in the late 1930s some of the people of Traquair thought they should have a parish hall but because of the war the objective was shelved until 1946. Sir James Dundas, who was the driving force, set up a Planning Committee whose first task was to raise funds. Ian and Tom Miller went round the houses and shops on foot or by bicycle every Friday collecting donations. The Planning Committee organised Bring and Buy Sales, Whist Drives, Jumble Sales, concerts and dances, using local talent for the latter to minimise expenses. Lord and Lady Glenconner, in addition to running dances at Glen House, held three Garden Fetes during the summers of 1947, 1948 and 1949, and raised the sum of £1,100.

By 1951 the sum of £3,469 was raised and although this was not enough the decision to commence building was made. Cairns and Ford agreed to carry out the architectural work and in spite of the fact that four different plans were submitted before planning permission was acquired, they only charged out-of-pocket expenses. The ground for the site was gifted by Francis Maxwell Stuart. The hall was completed in 1952 at a cost of £6,754 and the shortfall in funding was met by grants of £2,285 from the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust and £1,000 from Peeblesshire County Council.