A dormitory town in the Strathkelvin district of west central Scotland Milngavie (pronounced 'mil-guy') lies near the confluence of the Allander Water with the River Kelvin, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Glasgow city centre. It developed at a river crossing and road junction in association with textile mills and, following the arrival of the railway in 1863, expanded as a residential settlement. Milngavie lies at the southern end of the West Highland Way and nearby are Bardowie Loch, Bardowie Castle, Tannock Loch, Mugdock Country Park and Mugdock and Craigmaddie reservoirs.
In the 13th century, Milngavie and the lands of Mugdock were acquired from the Earls of Lennox by the Graham family, the most famous of whom was James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose (1612-50). It was the Grahams who established a corn mill here and, by the early 19th century there was a bleachfield and cotton-spinning mill. Dye works, a paper mill and a printing works followed.
Milngavie was also notable as the site of a test track for the remarkable rail-plane designed by George Bennie (1891 - 1957). This was constructed in 1929 but failed to find funding and was eventually demolished in the 1950s.
