Dr. Barnardo's opened Glasclune, as a girls home in October 1944. Glasclune eventually became a home for both boys and girls in May 1953. It remained as such until 1975 when it reverted to a home for emotionally difficult children, under the supervision of its last superintending couple, Dorothy and Eric Falconer who had started in 1968.

Glasclune was closed before its time due to fire damage, it was not the first, It was the second fire at the home within a few hours, the first in an unoccupied craft room on the ground floor at 5.30 pm was quickly brought under control by firemen. Three hours later firemen were called back again to a second fire which was thought to have started in an empty cupboard on the top floor. The fire crews worked through the night to stop the fire spreading but the top floor and the rest of the three storey building was destroyed by the fire, causing an estimated £300,000 of damage. At the height of the fire, 60 firemen from Edinburgh, Haddington and North Berwick were in attendance with ten appliances a turntable ladder and breathing apparatus. Seventeen children aged between five and sixteen were lead to safety by deputy superintendent William Craig.

33/12 Childhood Memories a photographic history of Dr Barnardo's

In The Guild Magazine Summer 1979 Eric Falconer wrote of the incident:

Very unfortunately, on the evening of  Thursday 19th April 1979, we had a fire at Glasclune which completely destroyed the upper floor of the main building. As soon as the fire was discovered staff very quickly cleared the building and no one was harmed. The immediate problem was to house everyone for the night and thanks to kind offers from non-residential staff; those who could not be accommodated in the Glasclune annexe were given beds for the night.

On the following day nine children were then given more permanent accommodation 1 at South Oswald Road, 4 at Cruachan, 2 at Dr. Guthries, 1 with his sister in Drem, and another with a family in North Berwick. Two members of staff are still with the Cruachan children. The other fourteen children and the rest of the staff are still here in North Berwick, some in a large flat attached to the private nursing home next door to Glasclune and the rest in the Glasclune annexe. We have also been given two Portakabins, one for use as a staff sitting-room and the other as an office. It is thanks to all the hard work of both residential and domestic staff that a return to some semblance of normality has been achieved.

Although the greater part of the building is still intact, fire and water damage has made it unsafe for use. The question of Glasclune's long term future has to be considered and it may be that if a suitable property was found in Edinburgh, where there are more extensive educational and treatment facilities, "Glasclune" might be resettled there.

In the interim period, which could be for a year or two, we are trying to find more suitable accommodation locally and several possibilities are being explored.

Glasclune was a fine house with extensive grounds and it has been a wonderful setting for children for over thirty years. Let us hope that from all the goodwill and co-operation that have gone to make up the spirit of Glasclune, something of all it has meant to so many will be carried on by children and staff in whatever setting they may be.

When was the home built? John Blair Balfour (1837 to 1905), a barrister and Liberal member of parliament for Clackmannan and Kinross commissioned the building of his country retreat at North Berwick in 1889, The house was designed in a style known as symmetrical Queen Anne, John Blair Balfour, later to become Lord Kinross of Glasclune, and his wife moved in three years later.

Who lived there? After the death of Lord Kinross and his wife, the house was sold to a businessman Arthur Cross, He and his descendants lived or spend holidays there until 1938,

When was it a Dr. Barnardo's home? In 1940 the government had commandeered Glasclune for the 'duration of hostilities', In 1944 the building was leased to the Ministry of Works, Later that year Dr Barnardo home at Blairhill closed and the girls from there moved to Glasclune October 1944, The boys moved to the house next door Redholme, that was also leased to the Ministry of Works, In 1948 Dr. Barnardo's purchased the house and in 1950/5I it changed status to a mixed home, In 1975, Glasclune changed its status again and became a home to children with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.

How many children lived there? About 40 children in total: 20 boys and 20 girls in the 1950s

When did the home close? In 1982 but the main building of Glasclune was empty from  Thursday 19th April 1979

What is the home used for today? After standing empty and boarded up for two years, demolition teams moved in and the house was finally demolished, In 1987 a new private housing scheme was completed in the grounds of the old house, The area was named Glasclune Gardens after the old building that once occupied the area.

Sophia Brumby, now 90 years old, writes of her time at Glasclune, North Berwick, Scotland, some 40 years ago.

MY husband Ernest helped the boys and I was responsible for cooking for all 40 children, nine staff and eight 'dailies' - the ladies who came in to do the cleaning. I must say I often wondered if I could do the job.

Mr and Mrs Mack from London were in charge, so Mrs Mack would come and tell me the menu. The cleaners who stayed for dinner were charged Is 9d each, and if steak was on the menu for staff, the cleaners wondered why. My order was to give them fried bacon and eggs plus tea.

Glasclune was a lovely home, very comfortable for the children. They had play clothes, school clothes and Sunday clothes. On Sunday a few went to the English church. Others went to the Church of Scotland. My own two teenagers, Edwin and Muriel, were very fond of the children. If they had a broken toy, that was Edwin's job. A string of beads to mend would be Muriel's job. We were sorry when we had to leave when my husband got a job in Lincoln as a child care officer.

Glasclune is not there now, because of a fire. It has been replaced by council houses. I loved Glasclune.

Reproduced from The Barnardo Guild Messenger Winter 1999/2000